We members of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) condemn the hike in fees by Adams Oshiomhole led Edo state government and the management of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and demand its immediate cancellation. Governor Adams Oshiomhole has repeatedly stated, even before coming to power, that one of his government top priorities is education.
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We want to state clearly that fees hike is not in the interest of Nigeria students and Nigerians in entirety. How would the citizens of this country with a minimum wage of N7500, considering also the growing level of unemployment and job losses be made to pay fees as high as N100000? The fees hike and neglect of the education in the past one year in Edo state is so far a negation of the promise by Governor Adams Oshiomhole to reposition the education sector and place it as a top priority. What we expect of the Edo State government is to increase funding of education to 26% UNESCO recommendation aimed at improving the level of infrastructure and also motivate workers by paying a living wage in order to guarantee quality education from primary to the university level.
In the early hours of February 15 2010, Ambrose Alli University students massively protested the hike and have called on the management and Edo State Government to reverse to the old fees, and have vowed to continue the protest. The management and government should meet this demand before the protest degenerates and for academic activities to resume.
The fees have been provocatively and unwarrantedly increased, and we see no justification for it given the socio-economic difficulties most Nigerians are passing through. The fees formerly paid range from between N20000 and N30000, but have now been increased to N54, 000 and N100, 000 depending on the courses of study. Going by the new fee regime, part-time and fresh students are to pay N100000; pre-degree students are to pay N90000; science students are to pay N74,000 while non-science students are to pay N54, 000. The ERC calls on the entire students to resist these fees hike and demand its immediate cancellation. The students’ union leaders should organize systematic resistance in form of mass campaigns that will see mass of students march to government houses and to the media houses, carry out lecture boycott, continual peaceful protest and demonstration. The students should also call for the solidarity of all the staff unions (ASUU, NASU and SSANU) in order to defeat the new fees.
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ERC is appealing to the Ambrose Ali University branch of ASUU, NASU and SSANU as well as their regional and national structure to show solidarity with students because an attack on the students is also an attack on the education workers. Members of the ERC and students showed enormous solidarity and support for workers in their struggle for improved living condition and improved funding for education. Students therefore expect that solidarity to be strengthened, now that the living standard of students and their parents is being attacked across the federation. Students and workers must stand side by side in solidarity if education commercialization and attacks on the living standard of workers must be defeated. We also call on the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and students’ union bodies in all campuses to begin an action in solidarity with Ambrose Alli students, UNN students and a nationwide resistance against the general trend of hike in fees and education commercialization.
Hassan Taiwo Soweto Chinedu Bosah
National Coordinator National Secretary
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