Iwoye, Ogun State, marched to the Ogun State
government house in Oke-mosan, Abeokuta, to
protest what they described as a "tactical and
Jamboree deduction of increased school fees."
PREMIUM TIMES gathered from the protesting
students that Governor Ibikunle Amosun's
"jamboree" reduction of the university's tuition fee
was from about N192, 000 to about N176,000.
However, the Ogun State Commissioner for
Education, Science, and Technology, Segun Odubela
had while announcing the reduction on Tuesday said
medical students of Olabisi Onabanjo University,
OOU,, who are currently paying N301,610 will pay
N176,596 from next session, representing a 41.4 per
cent reduction.
Mr. Odubela said students of the Faculty of Arts in
the same university will be paying N81,112 instead of
the current fee of N126,540, a 35.9 per cent
reduction.
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on phone, Falola
Ahmed, the leader of the Ogun State chapter of the
National Association of Nigerian Student, NANS,
described Mr. Amosun as "a pathological liar" who
wanted to use the "tactical deduction" to score cheap
political goals.
"The Governor has been making political statements
about the fees he reduced, but this is a jamboree
reduction, it is a tactical deduction. If he must reduce
the tuition fee, he must reduce it to the minimum
affordable to the people of Ogun State," Mr. Ahmed
said.
"As we speak, over 1,000 students of OOU are
presently on their way to Oke Mosan to protest. We
want Ibukunle Amosun to be sincere and stop media
lies. He should fix the laboratories in the school."
He alleged that the governor had organised an
opposing group, composed of the students of the
Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, who would
visit the government house by 1 p.m. for a "thank you
visit." He also claimed that the governor paid the
MAPOLY students N500 each.
"The clashes will start between the aggrieved and the
hired," he stated.
Another student leader, who gave his name as
Success, said the students were revolting following a
directive that the reduction in school fees would be
implemented next session.
"The school fees have been reduced by mere talk and
not implementation. The implementation is billed for
next session. We want it implemented now because it
is a political gimmick," Success said.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
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