Group Flays Aregbesola Over UNIOSUN Tuition Fee Increment, Calls For Immediate reversal

A group, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS), has called on the State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, to reverse the newly increased tuition fees of the State University (UNIOSUN) back to the old tuition fees in the interest of students, parents and guardians.

The group also called on the three man investigative panel headed by Professor Solomon Akinboye, set up by the Governing Council of the institution to investigate its Vice Chancellor, Professor Labode Popoola, over an alleged mismanagement of N106million, to do the assignment without fear or favour.

A memo released on the proposed tuition fee for 2017/2018 academic session revealed that science and engineering students would now be paying N155,000 as against N101,000 they have been paying.

The new memo showed that acceptance fee of N40,000, ICT and other fees would make the total fee for science and engineering students N250,500.

The Political Science, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration students would be paying the same fee excluding laboratory/bench fee of N15,000/10,000, being paid by Engineering and Science students

The memo further showed that Nursing/Law/Public health students would now be paying N195,000 as tuition fee, and with other fee, a total of N285,500.

According to the memo, Non-science students would now be paying N130,000 and with other fees, totalling N210,500.

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman and made available to CityMirrorNews in Osogbo, urged the concerned citizens and stakeholders in the State to resist what he described as “the anti-masses policy of the present administration in the State.

The group described the increment as “anti-masses, saying “the new fees policy in the University showed the insensitiveness of Rauf Aregbesola led- State government to the plight of the parents and guardians of the affected students who have been on the payment of half salaries for over two years now in the State”.

The group called on members of organized labour and civil society organizations to oppose the new tuition fee, saying that the affected parents and guardians should join in resisting the new fees.

According to the group, the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has made it clear that government at all level should ensure the citizens acquired education to the higher level.