“Universities across the country are not funded by FG”- ASUU chairman reacts as Tinubu orders halt to school fee hike

Following President Tinubu’s directive that all tertiary institutions across the country should stop the hike in tuition fees, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS have reacted differently.

While the students body express joy and satisfaction with the development, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Lagos State University chapter has said that the president is not paying attention to the most important needs of the universities.

Xclusiveloaded had earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu on Monday, directed the authorities in all federal tertiary institutions to avoid arbitrary increase in sundry fees payable and where possible defer further increase so that parents and students don’t face too much difficulty.

According to the report, the President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, also approved the removal of all restrictions on the students’ loan to ensure it is easily accessible by students.

The statement further revealed that the president had given approval for the provision of buses to the students’ bodies of all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country –  a directive which comes barely five days after the Presidency insisted that federal universities remain tuition-free, despite the hike in miscellaneous fees in several universities nationwide.

According to Alake, this was based on Tinubu’s “desire to see that students can access their campuses without much difficulty as a result of higher transportation costs.”

“In line with his promise to ensure no Nigerian student abandons his or her educational pursuits as a result of lack of money and economic circumstances of their parents, President Tinubu has also approved the removal of all restrictions on the students’ loan to make it available to any student or household that may desire it,” the statement read.

Reacting, the Vice-President, NANS, Akinteye Afeez, who spoke on behalf of students across the country said, “We are happy with the development. We have now been given the opportunity to shut down any school that increases school fees again or that refuses to go back to the status quo.”

Azeez had said that the recent hike in tuition fees was not consistent with the government’s earlier promises of prioritizing education and making it available and affordable to Nigerians across all races while noting that the FGs recent order was what Nigerians needed.

But the Chairman of ASUU at the University of Lagos, Prof. Kayode Adebayo, opposed Azeez’ opinion when he said ‘stopping of fee hike by the president was not the solution to the universities’ problem.”

He maintained that universities across the country were not funded by FG, adding that Tinubu was supposed to announce the financial subventions that would be given to universities rather than making direct orders on them.

He said, “I can’t say there is Eldorado in the announcement because it does not add up, what will be the fate of the universities; if you say they should not charge mandatory fees yet you didn’t plan to send any subventions for the running of the universities.

“The reason for the mandatory charges was that universities do not receive anything from the Federal Government to run the system.”