The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Friday staged a peaceful protest, demanding the reversal of over 300 per cent increment in school fees at the Edo State-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma.
Recall that the state government increased AAU fees to between 741,000 and N638,00 as against 185,000 and N216,000 being paid previously.
The protesting student also demanded the sack of the Special Intervention Team (SIT), set up by the state government to oversee the affairs of the institution, as well as the acting vice chancellor of the university, Prof Sonnie Adagbonyin.
Addressing journalists, NANS vice president, Intercampus Affairs, Comrade Vanessa Egheahie, said NANS would storm the institution if the state government failed to revert to the old fees, saying students from poor parents cannot afford to go to school with the new fees.
According to him, with the new fees, AAU has become the most expensive public university in Nigeria.
“Law students are expected to pay 741,000 as against 185,000 while medical science students are to pay 638,000 as against 216,000 for new students.
“We are angry because the Edo State Government and the AAU Special Intervention Team (SIT) have increased the school fees for AAU students by over 360 per cent,” he said.
He said the state government was making it impossible for poor people to go to school.
“It is not possible. Remember that Edo is 78 per cent civil service state. How can children of traders, civil servants and other low income earners pay this kind of school fees? The Edo State Government has told us that they have a low education policy and they don’t care if we end up on the street,” he said.
Also speaking, the secretary-general, NANS, Zone B, Comrade Isaac Ogieva, said when the fee was increased, they went to the school management and pleaded that they should consider the poor ones in school, who are the ones sponsoring their education.
