Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin, has clarified that there was no time school fees payable by student of the institution was increased.
Adagbonyin, made the clarification during a media briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Benin City, Edo State.
He noted that what the students protested about was just add-on (charges) by departments, insurance, identity cards, etc which the Students Union Government (SUG) even negotiated with the school management.
He listed the add-ons to include, Student Union Dues, Alternative Subscription Model (ASM) Fees (formerly known as technology fees) Interswitch Transaction Charges, EDOHIS, Access Card (formerly ID Card), Accreditation Fees, Student Union Dues and Sports Development Fee, which he said are not new to students.
Even at that, Adagbonyin said breakdown of the add-ons amounted to N50,200 only for all the programmes in the Faculties of Arts, Law, Management Sciences, Social Sciences and Environmental Studies; and for all the programmes in the Faculties of Agriculture, Education, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences.
He also disclosed that the over one N120,000.00 being bandied by the students was totally false, pointing out that the payment of N20,000.00 for the Learning Management System (LMS) was a “one-off” because students pay it only once throughout their programme so that those who already paid it at certain point in time in their programme only have to pay a balance of N30,200.”
Adagbonyin, who was flanked by other management staff of AAU, said: “I make bold to tell you that a greater percentage of what is being canvased in the media, both conventional and social, is truth standing on its head.
“For long, purveyors of falsehood, merchants of propaganda, dwellers in the mansions of blackmail and revellers in the habit of reputation damage and de-marketing have used Ambrose Alli University and its management as cannon fodder for pleasure and political profit.
“Perhaps no other university than AAU, a university that has produced great men and women, has suffered such bad press and been so pummeled.”
Speaking further, he said: “We are here today to address an issue that has for some time now taken a huge space in public conversations: the issue of school fees and protests in AAU.
“This appears to have formed the basis of other concerns. I will tell you here today, gentlemen of the press, and upon my honour as the Acting Vice Chancellor and on behalf of the Management and the Senate of the University that there is no increment in the tuition fees of returning students.”
The AAU boss further stated that contrary to the information going round that the institution increased schools fees for returning student to about 100 percent, there was nothing like that, adding that news fees were only applicable to fresh students.
“When the then SUG leadership threatened to shut the university gate because of some perceived issues, that of school fees was not even high up on the list of the issues.
“The only aspect of their agitation that is related to fees was the inclusion of returning (old) students in the Edo Health Insurance Scheme (EDOHIS).
“They claimed that they had reached an agreement with the Management of EDOHIS to exclude all returning students from 300L and above from the scheme,” he added.
He said while management see nothing wrong peaceful protest, it would not fold its arms and watch students take protests to the level of anarchy and lawlessness, adding that prior to locking of university gate by the protesting students, the Senate of the university, had directed that under no circumstances should the institution gates be shut in the name of protests.
