Laleye Dipo in Minna
The Igbo and Yoruba communities in Niger State have rejected the new and “discriminatory fees†recently introduced for old and returning students by the state-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, describing it as “creating unnecessary dichotomy between non-indigenes and indigenes.”
They said such a policy would further “disunite the people rather than bring about the much talked about national cohesion.”
Under the new policy, which took effect this academic session, the management of the university also reintroduced different fees for indigenes and non-indigenes, a policy that was abrogated by the immediate past Governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu.
The new policy was contained in the admission letters released to fresh students by the university last week.
In the letter signed by the Registrar, Smaiila Mohammad, fresh students of Niger State origin are now to pay N52,500, while returning students in the same category are to pay N27,500. However new non-indigenous students are to pay N93,000, while their returning colleagues would pay N55,000.
Before now both categories used to pay the same amount of N29,000.
International returning students according to the admission latter captioned ‘2017/2018 Notification of Admission and Payment Instructions Undergraduate Degree Programmes’ are to pay N137,500 while the returning students are to pay N108,000.
The groups also appealed to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to order the cancellation of the policy immediately.
Recently the present government also stopped the payment of NECO and WAEC fees for non-indigenous students in public schools. The administration did not give any reason for its action.
