Lagos State university students have rejected the government’s
decision to reduce the institution’s increased fees by 34-60 per cent.
Speaking at a press conference today where the issue was
addressed, the students’ union president, Nurudeen Yusuf, said the state
government has been insincere in its dealings with them.
“We do not accept the percentage reduction offered by the
Government because in 2011 when the fees were increased, it was not done on
percentage level. Rather, they made the pronouncement in Nigerian naira and
kobo.”
“We urge the Government to come out in extant words as to
how much will be payable by our students in naira and kobo and not in
percentage. How do they expect our parents, the market women scrambling to pay
our fees, to calculate the percentage?
“The Government is only trying to play jokers on our future,
our destiny and the posterity of the state. Even if the governing council and
the internal structure in the university will be put to their statutory work,
we question the sincerity of the Government on this matter because the
pronouncement of the fee was as a result of a Visitation Panel set up by the
Government of which report was selectively adopted.”
We would only accept a 67 per cent reduction “across board” in
our school fees which ranges between N197,750 and N348,750, the student leader
said.
The students also demanded an apology from the State commissioner
of Police over the arrest, detention and brutalisation of their colleagues.
We sincerely hope the students who were arraigned in a Lagos court have been released, because they should be the priority of other students now.