AAUA-SUG RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF INFORMATION
*From The Secretariat, Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Students' Union, Room 004,( Office of the masses).*
*RE: TUITION FEE HIKE, OUR STORY.*
*A RESPONSE TO THE ONDO STATE GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONER OF INFORMATION*
In order to save face, the commissioner of information released to the public yesterday set of "facts" about why government had to forcefully hike tuition fees in Adekunle Ajasin University, however just like all, the arguments are a mockery of intelligence, and falls face to the ground.
It is a very ridiculous argument to claims because other schools were hiked, AAUA must be hiked. It beats logic, it is a fallacious argument that should never be heard from intellectuals. For every school who has been hiked, it is always a wind of oppression, some of them were allowed because Students could not organise enough to fight back. But for us, we have decided to fight back.
The Government has reeled out its fact again, and one more time it falls to the ground, it fails to answer the most important question, why is government irresponsible to fund its own institution? Why is Government still paying subventions it pays to the University 6 years ago? Apparently, in the last decade, Government has made no resolve to increase its own subvention, even when there was oil boom, and there was enough resources.
As it stands, Government releases only a paltry sum of 1.8bn naira to it's own institution. It is not only ridiculous, it is shameful, it is very irresponsible of Government. And in all of this, Government has not talked about increasing its own Funding. But it keeps Students about increasing fee for Students who have Parents already impoverished in the State. Parents who are Workers earning 18,000naira as minimum wage.
Also, the commissioner claims that the current fee regime was introduced over 18 years ago, while he is partially right, it is also note worthy to say this fee as at then was the highest in southwest for a long time. Wasn't it sardonic that University students would pay 25,000naira as far back as 2004? Where other universities enjoyed very lower fees.
The commissioner also claims because of dwindling resource no fund has been released for CAPITAL PROJECTS in AAUA since 2014. This is a blatant lie, as far back as 2010, no serious funds have been released for CAPITAL PROJECT in AAUA, as it stands, Government has no legacy project in the last 8 years in the school apart from the SENATE BUILDING it build for Management Staff. Over 90% of projects in AAUA as at now are all ETF/TETFund projects! And this has no one kobo of State government in it.
Apart from paying salaries, there seem to be no serious projects embarked upon by the STATE GOVERNMENT, Why is the government now crying that it is because of CAPITAL PROJECTS? That's appeal to pity and it would not funded, AAUA has been underfunded for close to a decade now, and Students would never bear the irresponsibility of government!
Finally, EVEN the New fee Regime is fraudulent! Reeks of Scam. Fees like REG RECORDS, DEVELOPMENT FEE, and so on are unexplainable. Why do Students pay tuition, if they have to be pay again for development? What was the tuition meant for? Why do we have to pay whopping 10,000 for REG RECORDS, what does that even mean? We have to pay the University to keep records?
We demand a reversal to the status quo! Government must fund its own institution! Government must make more sacrifice. 1.8bn naira is shameful! Government must stand up to its responsibility. It cannot ask ordinary citizens to make Sacrifice that itself is not willing to make.
The Struggle continues today!
Aluta Continua.
*Adekunle Ayo-Lawrence*
*AAUA Students' Union General Secretary.*
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