The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has condemned recent increase in tuition fees by some tertiary institutions, especially public universities and vowed to ensure that such increments are reversed.
Newly elected NANS President, Lucky Emonefe, said it was unreasonable for institutions to increase their fees and charges astronomically at a time when Nigerians are going through pains and hardships as a result of difficult economic situation occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.
He spoke at a news conference in Abuja, where four of the presidential candidates in the just concluded national convention of NANS and Council of Zonal Coordinators of NANS across the country backed his emergence as the association’s president.
Emonefe threw his weight behind the protest by students of the University of Calabar against the 100 per cent hike in the institution’s tuition fees.
The NANS President, who warned that the students would no longer tolerate such arbitrariness in the running of education institutions in the country, pointed out that the latest development was contrary to earlier directive by President Bola Tinubu that all public universities should halt any form of increase in charges.
The university had earlier released a new schedule of fees that would take effect in the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic sessions, leading to protest by students on Monday to register their dissatisfaction.
They were reported to have barricaded the roads leading to the campus, thus preventing workers from coming in.
Emonefe insisted that the Vice-Chancellor and management of the institutions must adhere to President Bola Tinubu’s directive asking the public universities to halt tuition fees hike or face the consequences.
He warned that the student body would not hesitate to ground academic activities in any institution found to have embarked on arbitrary school fees hike.
He assured Nigerian students that the association would set up a committee to monitor institutions who are increasing fees so as to force them to adhere to the President’s order.
Emonefe, while speaking on his plans for the association, promised to keep the integrity of NANS and ensure to put the interest of students at the forefront.
Meanwhile, four presidential candidates in the just concluded national convention of NANS namely: Edom Smart John, Stephen Edidiong Tobi, Boniface Emesowun, all from University of Calabar and Enomfon Umoisien, University of Uyo, have adopted Emonefe as the authentic President of NANS.
Tobi, who spoke with reporters on behalf of the presidential candidates, said only Emonefe is recognised as the NANS genuine president.
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His position was also affirmed by the Council of Zonal Coordinators of NANS across the country.
He said: “We make bold to say this because there is no shame in losing a contest. It does not mean that the rest of us were less qualified or incapable of leading the organization, no.
“It is Just about the choices delegates had to make at this time. So, we take our individual losses in good faith in order to join hands with the winner and build a strong, focused and undivided NANS. In doing so, we win with our Comrade Brother, Lucky Emonefe, the undisputed President of NANS.
“Of course, we read from a section of the media that one of us, Comrade Pedro Chibuzor Obi, is laying claim to the Presidency of NANS. While we carefully refuse to join issues with him as a person, it is however ridiculous and indicative of deliberate media mischief that somebody will sit in a hotel, call the media and declare himself the President of a big organization like NANS, and the media put that out as news to the public.”
They further enjoined Comrade Pedro Obi and his co-agitators to call off whatever agitations they were currently carrying out in the interest of the organisation.
“Maybe, they have reasons to be angry or it could just be about their ego; but whatever it is, it will be better sorted on the table of comradeship,” he said.
