The University of Nigeria (UNN) Students Union Government (SUG) has advised students to stop payment of school fees until issues concerning the hike in tuition fees were resolved.
The directive was issued at a congress held on Sunday, at Nsukka main campus of the University after the officials of the students Union Government with class leaders agreed to shut down the portal until all issues surrounding school, hostels and others increased fees were resolved.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has given the university management 72 hours’ ultimatum to effect total reversal of the 100 percent tuition hike or face mass action.
In a statement, the students union described the 100 percent increase in tuition fees by the management of the UNN as ill-considered and outrageous, while insisting on total reversal.
The statement which is titled: “UNN over 100% tuition hike: NANS calls on management to effect total reversal or face mass action,” was jointly signed by Enugu branch chairman of NANS and Secretary, Ikechukwu Emmanuel and Chinonso Nwaobdo respectively.
The statement partly reads: “In response, we have assured our members that in line with our Charter of Demand, NANS does not act on presumption or assumption, however we assured our members that their interest will remain our primary focus to protect under any circumstance.
“In line with the circular released by the management of the University of Nigeria and further investigation through the instrumentality of a fact finding task force to ascertain the true state of affairs in the Institution we discovered thus:
“That the University of Nigeria is the federal Institution with the highest tuition fees in South-East prior to this hike and one of the highest in the whole country. This suggests an imbalance in the cost of acquiring higher education when compared to other federal Institutions in the country.
“That the management and Governing Council of the University of Nigeria have inadvertently conspired to without either recourse nor remorse to the current economic crisis in Nigeria, further deny Nigerian Students access to quality and affordable education by outrageously increasing the tuition fees by 100%.
“That the hostel fee is not left out of their evil scheme of aborting the education of the Nigerian Students by an increase of 50%.
“That in line with global best practices, that the students leadership was not duly consulted nor carried along. The student leaders were merely informed about the intention of the university management to increase the fees and were not given enough time to assimilate the information, discuss with their colleagues and revert back to the university management.
“NANS frowns at such high-handedness and rejects the path the university management has towed. There is a deliberate plan by the university to undermine the SUG and subsequent play the card of maybe reducing the hike to 50% to portray being a listening administration, a game we are very conversant with.”
The Nigerian students’ body however, demanded: “The National Association of Nigeria Students NANS is strongly averse to any form of tuition increment that does not place students as major indices for consideration. NANS deems this hike, outrageous, unnecessary, unwarranted and untimely.
“NANS is all out and ready to resist this increment with every weapon within its arsenal. We call on the Vice Chancellor, Governing Council and the entire management of UNN to effect a total reversal or face a mass action from the largest students movement in West Africa. Anything short of total reversal leaves UNN ready to be occupied by Nigerian students.
“We are issuing a 72 hours ultimatum to the management of UNN to do everything necessary to completely reverse this increment. At the expiration of the three (3) days, Nigerian students will be forced to occupy UNN. This is not a threat, it is a sincere promise.
“We entreat every Nigerian Student in UNN to put on hold every process of fees payment and stand with us as we wait, engage and hope that the management of UNN will consider the plight of students and effect a total reversal. Any students that goes ahead to pay should not come begging for a refund,” the statement read.
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