15th May, 2014
Sulaimon Mojeed-Sanni
The Lagos State University Student Union, LASUSU, led by its President, Comrade Nurudeen Temilola Yusuf, will Thursday stage a 5,000-student march from Idumota to CMS to campaign for a reduction in the tuition fees of the institution
In a statement made available to P.M.NEWS Campus Square, LASUSU called on the students of the institutions to show solidarity by joining the peaceful march.
According to the president, the march would commence by 10a.m. from Idumota Bridge – Lagos to C.M.S Bus Stop on Lagos Island. “The take off point is Abe-Igi by 9a.m. prompt.All LASUites should come with any of their identification cards; (School, Faculty or Departmental I.D Card, Course Form or Examination Docket). It is advisable you come in any branded T-shirt of your faculty, department, fellowship, association or club that bears LASU Logo,” Yusuf wrote in his appeal for support.
Tthe union had earlier held a meeting with the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, on 3 April, 2014, where the governor made it clear that total reversal of the fees is not possible.
He, however instructed the students’ body to present a breakdown of the amount they want government to reduce the school fees to.
According to Yusuf, the union, having met with the students on 7 April, came up with a proposal of N46, 500 for returning students and N65, 500 for freshers as the new tuition fees.
The union leader said the proposal on the amended fees was submitted to the governor on 24 April with a list of 86 students who dropped out of the institution after the fees were increased but the union is yet to receive a response from government.
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday during its ministerial briefing said it would soon make a pronouncement on the lingering issue of tuition fees hike at LASU.
Speaking through the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, the government said it is making efforts to end the ongoing crisis in the institution.
“We are looking into the crisis in LASU holistically as a responsible government; very soon you will hear our pronouncement on the fees issue.
“We are not insensitive to the plight of the students, we are working on it,’’ she said.
Highlighting some of the projects of government, the Commissioner said that it had completed LASU School of Transport, while LASU ultra-modern Senate Building, LASU Central Library, Student Union Arcade and Faculty of Management Sciences complex, Faculty of Law Lecture Hall, LASU Radio Station and Faculty of Science Complex are all under construction.
Despite the promise by government to look into the issue, the student union president said the union would proceed with its peaceful march.
“It’s been over four weeks since we wrote to government as regards our position on the fee hike, we would be proceeding with our peaceful match to get Nigerians’ sympathy as students and citizens of Nigeria desirous of accessible education.
“It is not a protest, just a peaceful match and we have put in place mechanism to manage the students that would be coming, education is a right not a privilege,” Yusuf told P.M. NEWS Campus Square in a telephone conversation.
The students earlier this week launched a new social media campaign of no reduction in school fees, no resumption using the hash tag, #NoReductionNoResumption, the students vowed to sustain the struggle until government listens.
The controversial fees hike was introduced in 2011 by the current state government.