VOICE AIR MEDIA News Update

THE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) condemned what it described as outrageous tuition fees hike of over 300 per cent, by the Edo State Government in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

The student body while threatening a showdown with the State Government if nothing is done to make a downward review of the school fees, said it would resist attempts to take university education out of the reach of the poor in the country.

NANS National Vice-President Inter-campus Affairs, Comrade Egbeahie Vanessa, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, also condemned the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sonnie Asomwan Adagbonyin and his management for allegedly being antagonistic to students.

He also urged parents and students not to hurriedly pay the outrageous fees as the student body would go all out to engage the State Government with the view to ensuring the reversal of the arbitrary increase of tuition fees.

Vanessa said: “We condemn the attitude of the State Governor towards tertiary education in the state and his ambition of wanting to take education beyond the reach of the poor and average citizens of Edo and Nigeria in general.

“That this current state government has not laid a single building foundation in the foremost State-owned university is shocking.

“The last three years in the university has been about the victimisation of staff and students, intimidation and threats to whoever dares to speak up against the non-conforming and anti-educational policies of Edo State Government aimed at full indirect commercialisation of State-owned tertiary institutions.

“The Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sonnie Asomwan Adagbonyin and his Deputy Vice-Chancellor are known by all for their High handedness and constant threatening of students. Mostly Prof. Marshall Azeke who has proven with his attitude towards students to be unfit for the exalted office currently occupied,” he stated.

While insisting that the over 300 per cent tuition fee increment was unacceptable, NANS observed that speaking up against any unwholesome act by the management is a huge sin as the members of the management of the institution have turned themselves into executive bullies.

“The acting VC has threatened to suspend the students Union government for daring to challenge the school fees that he would not have been able to afford if not for the privilege of being a Vice-Chancellor. NANS shall in due course engage him desirably going forward.

“In the voice of the acting Vice Chancellor who has obviously forgotten that he is a public office holder that is being paid by taxpayers and not by a private individual or that the school is a public institution owned by the citizens, Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma is no longer for the poor or average citizens but for the rich only,” Vanessa said.

He added, “that the Secretary to the State Government has ceded his conference room to the anti-good education team hired by the state government to implement its anti-people or students agenda in AAU Ekpoma is another source of worry and proof that all the atrocities, blackmailing and victimisation going on in the foremost citadel of learning is pre-planned as now gradually being executed”.

Vanessa further stated that it was pathetic to note that the University is being run under a high level dictatorship and intimidation of both staff and students, saying victimisation and threats to both staff and students leadership is the practice of the school management under the supervision of a team allegedly hired by the Visitor to the University.

Part of the statement read: “NANS is aware of the draconian style of the management in wanting to impose the outrageous school fees on the newly admitted students and we want to use this medium to tell all the prospective students and their parents not to subject themselves and children to the deadline threat by the management of the university.

“We urge parents not to be excited by the admission offers to the point of hurriedly paying the outrageous cost that they may not be able to sustain till the end. Parents should remember that accommodation, feeding and other expenses are also there for them to pay alongside.

“To this extent, we are passionately appealing to parents and prospective students who are financially enabled enough not to encourage the new fee regime by hurriedly paying in line with the heartless deadline by the university management.

“In solidarity, as we plan an all out engagement with the school management, we are appealing to parents and prospective parents to show solidarity by staying away from paying the outrageous fees,”.

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