NANS condemns planned fees hike in varsities
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has condemned alleged plans by federal universities to increase tuition fees nationwide.
The association urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and stop the plan before it degenerates to crisis in the country.
The association made the call in a letter written to President Buhari, dated January 4, 2023, and titled: “Request for fatherly intervention on school fees increment by tertiary institutions in Nigeria.”
The Nigerian Tribune reports that the letter was signed by both the National President and the Senate President of the association, Usman Umar Barambu and Attah Unalue Felix, respectively.
The students also copied for their notice the Minister of Education, the Executive Secretary of NUC, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, the National security Adviser and the Inspector General of Police, among others.
The students though commended President Buhari for his efforts so far on education, security and other sectors of the economy despite the global economic downturn that also hit Nigeria, said they were by the letter, bringing to his notice, the plan by the governing councils of federal universities in the country to hike their tuitions by 200 percent and their own opposition to such plan.
They said the VCs, by such move, are not only inconsiderate but also insensitive to the plights of their students.
They said President Buhari should quickly intervene and stop the move as the majority of them who attend public universities, particularly in Nigeria, are from financially disadvantaged homes and would not be able to afford such an increment.
They said the school workers including the vice-chancellors and lecturers of various universities had already devised a special way of mitigating the effects of the planned increment by granting their own children in those schools significant rebate while leaving others from poor homes to their fate.