ANSA kicks against fee increment in LAUTECH; calls it another constituted Nonsense

Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neoliberal Attacks, 17. October 2018

*ANOTHER CONSTITUTED NONSENSE.*

The National Leadership of the Alliance of Nigerian Students against Neo-liberal Attacks (ANSA) seizes this medium at this revolutionary period to condemn in strong terms the astronomical fee hike imposed on students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and their parents.

It was a mouth-tearing news, Nigerians woke up to read on the 16th October 2018 of how 65,500 naira and 72,500 naira school fees were increased to 200,000 naira and 250,000 naira for indigenes and non-indigenes respectively. It is no news that the governments of Osun and Oyo have shown the highest level of ineptitude towards the management of this University with the students as the worst-hit, which has made the University Community a hotbed of protests, mass and industrial actions.

Considering the number of times in a short while that the role-shifting of the government has caused unrests, we have come to the conclusion that the Government of the day at all levels does want to fund Education adequately. It is very unfortunate how a Government takes pride in underfunding the education of her citizens.

It is also important to slap the government to sensitivity the gross implications of this imposition of regime of fee hike on Nigerian Students and their parents who are paid 18,000 Minimum wage, even irregularly. Adults (LAUTECH students) would then join the 13.2 million out-of-school children and lecturers would lose their jobs to join the embarrassing 18.8% of 85 million labour force who have already lost their jobs. If this illogical action is not reversed immediately and the unrest continues, small businesses in the University Community would suffer a serious financial meltdown like it happened in 2016/2017.

The Alliance was clairvoyant enough to have predicted these events as far back as early January 2017 and this also informed its 2018 launch of the ‘Campaign against Acceptance Fee and other frivolous fees’ which has kickstarted with discussions and signing of online petitions. We urge all Nigerian students to be part of this Campaign to make education free.

In Conclusion, ANSA urges LAUTECH students to remain civil in their dealings for it is in the plan of the University to shut down the Campus and shift the focus of Campaign to #ReopenLAUTECH like they did in 2017 before the ‘Constituted Authority’ of Oyo State asked for the holder of the keys. For us in ANSA, it is struggle against the oppressors, solidarity with the oppressed and action for freedom.

*ALLIANCE OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS AGAINST NEO LIBERAL ATTACKS (ANSA)*

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Email: ansastruggle@gmail.com