Government Must Dump the thought of fee increment – NANS
The leadership of the National Association Nigerian Students, through her National Director of Campus Affairs, Comrade Arosoye Ayokunle has advised the federal government to dump all thoughts of fee increment in tertiary institutions across the country. Stating that it is capable of causing violent moves and threaten peace and security.
This is contained in a Press Statement made available to Nigerian Cable News by Students. Here is the statement unedited;
BEING A TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY AROSOYE AYOKUNLE (NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS AFFAIRS, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS) ON THE RUMOURED INCREMENT OF SCHOOL FEES IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS, THIS DAY WEDNESDAY, 28TH JUNE, 2017.
“He who makes peaceful resolve impossible, makes violence inevitable.”
Gentlemen of the press.
Solidarity and revolutionary greetings to all and sundry from the office of the NANS National Director of Campus Affairs which is saddled with the responsibility of agitating for better students welfare, ensure relative tranquility and academic calendar void of strike actions in all tertiary institutions across the country.
In swift response and spirit of proactiveness against the looming National crisis, the above named NANS office has been serving the students’ populace selflessly to agitate for the demands of the Nigerian Students without any ulterior motive or pecuniary aggrandizement, wishes to state our position on the rumoured tuition fees increment in 38 of the nation’s tertiary institutions.
This rumour has not gone unnoticed knowing full well that this will only add to the hardship inflicted on the Nigerian Students and by extension the teeming Nigerian parents/guardians giving the present state of the nation’s economy.
How do we expect productivity and growth in all facets of the society if the nation’s teeming youths are deprived of education?
How do the country harness the skills and abilities of her citizens if they are on the street far from the four walls of our tertiary institutions due to highly unaffordable tuition fees?
Should we then say that the nation is heading for a doom?!
*”No country can really develop unless it’s citizens are educated.” Nelson Mandela*
It becomes imperative to succinctly state at this point in time that high tuition fee in our tertiary institutions will be vehemently rejected in it’s totality by Nigerian students, as countries like Finland, Austria, France, Germany, etc. with relatively cheap tuition fees and far better educational standard compared to what is obtainable here have proven to us that high tuition fee is not a prerequisite to qualitative education.
In 1977, the Federal Government of Nigeria declared education as an important tool for national development. The question then is; how then will the country develop if the cost of acquiring this tool becomes an unbearable burden on the people who are suppose to acquire it?
It is also remarkable to state that ‘Education for All’ practiced in countries like United States and other developed/developing countries that offers tuition free education at all levels to her citizens has not only improved their educational structure but reduced illiteracy, crime, and unproductiveness to its minimal level. Continuous increment of intuition fees in the country will only give the nation the newest acronym of “Education for the Rich (EFR)”, not even when the nation’s educational sector is presently at it’s lowest ebb of all time.
However, suffice me to say that news reaching us from some of the said institutions whom school fees have been rumoured to be increased shows that the rumour is faux and unfounded. This will not however deter our resolve in our agitation to making our institutions qualitative, affordable and conducive for learning and as such, any move either attempted or calculated to increase school fees will be aggressively and outrightly rejected as we are more than ready to mobilize against it.
Finally, we implore all concerned authorities to make it a point of duty to ensue peace and hearken to the yearnings of Nigerian Students by dessisting from any act that could cause unrest in the country. Thus, we wish to say unequivocally that the thought of school fee increment should be jettison as such will not see the light of the day.
Education is a right, not a privilege.
Thank you for your time and patience.
Long live Nigerian Students!
Long live NANS!!
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Signed:
Arosoye Ayokunle (KASPA)
NANS National Director of Campus Affairs
