VAM News Update

•ASUU, Students kick

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch, Akoka, and the students of the university, have kicked against increment in school fees now being charged by the institution.

The management of the school has announced the fees increment for all categories of students at a meeting it held on Thursday with the leadership of some staff unions, including the Senior Staff Association (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Technologists(NAAT).

The new fees regime with details is contained in a Minute of the Meeting issued and signed by Mr Akpan Obono Otu, who acted as the secretary of the meeting. The Minute is obtained by Nigerian Tribune, on Friday.

According to the management, from next academic session on October 3rd, returning students will now be paying between N100,750 and N190,250 depending on courses of study per session with medical and dentistry students paying the highest.

On the other hand, those who are coming in newly as undergraduates will be paying between N126,325 and N190,250, and this also depends on their courses of study.

The charges on hostel accommodation and various departmental levies are not captured in the above figures.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folashade Ogunsola, who chaired the meeting, offered some explanations why the fee increment for students is inevitable if UNILAG wants to continue to perform its mandates as an institution.

She cited, among others, the high costs of operations due to galloping inflation currently experiencing in the country particularly since the recent removal of subsidy on fuel by the Federal Government as reasons.

According to her, UNILAG has been running repeatedly a deficit budget to the tune of N1.2 billion in the last three years and can no longer cope particularly with the economic reality in the country.

She revealed that the normal annual income accruable to the university from its auxiliary funds stood at N5.6 billion, while its expenditure amounted to N6.8 billion, leaving a deficit of N1.2 billion annually.

She maintained that the university can no longer cope with the students paying the same fees they have been paying since 20 years ago, which is about N25,000 per session, hence the decision to jerk up the fees.

She noted that all stakeholders including students and staff unions were being carried along to arrive at the new fees regime.

However, the Chairman of the Parent-Forum of the university, Mr Babatunde Majekodunmi, confirmed on Friday, the claim by the VC that parents were actually carried along and agreed to the new fees.

He explained that the money would have even been higher and up to N400,000 per session but for the appeals made by the forum to the management.

But, cross sections of parents of students of the university and students themselves dispelled the claim of the Parent-Forum chairman, saying they were not aware of any meeting where such important matter was tabled let alone party to the decision.

The chairman of ASUU of the branch, Professor Kayode Adebayo, also on his part, told Saturday Tribune, that as far as ASUU is concerned, the union has no mandate to discuss the issue concerning the review of school fees in any university with any management.

He explained that ASUU’s position of no to-school fees increment in any federal university in the country has not changed even till now.

He insisted that the Federal Government has money to fund university education very well but for lack of insincerity and political will of the successive leaders to do so.

Similarly, the Public Relations Officer of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr Tope Giwa, who is a student of UNILAG, dispelled the claim by the vice-chancellor that the students were party to the fee increment.

He said UNILAG has banned students’ unionism on campus for a long time and refused to reinstate unionism despite students’ persistent agitation for reinstatement.

He noted that only the students’ officers at departmental and faculty levels are in the university and they are not in any way invited by the management to discuss important issues that concern them and even if they do it is not to seek their opinions.

“So, to us as students of UNILAG and every other public university nationwide, we say no to fees increments.

“This is a very difficult time economically for us and for our parents.

“So, to increase fees is to add to our pains and we cannot accept it.

“We told President Bola Tinubu when he introduced the Students’ Loan that the policy should not translate to fees hike and he told us that it would not.

“So, that is why I will describe this UNILAG new fees matter as laughable and we, the students, will never accept it.”
Meanwhile, the Head of the Communication Unit of UNILAG, Mrs Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, when contacted for confirmation, instructed Saturday Tribune to send text message and she later promised to send statement concerning the matter, which she did not do till the time of filing this report at 5.30 pm.