The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Ogun State Chapter on Monday disrupted the, ongoing second semester examinations at the Moshood Abiola Polytechinc, Abeokuta and shut the institution gate in protest of increment of different fees by the management.
Penpushing reports that the students in hundreds barricaded the gates preventing movement in and out of the institution, and also vehemently kicked against the management introduction a N20, 000 registration fee for new students.
The protesters led by the association chairman Damilola Simeon demanded the investigation of the management of the institution for alleged misappropriation and mismanagement of funds in the school accusing the authorities of not being unfair to them in view of the harsh economy situation.
“Without considering the economic conditions of parents and guardians, tuition fees were increased outrageously again for two consecutive sessions. This is the highest level of discomfort any management could think of putting the students through”, the students said
‘We are disheartened to converge here today, not for celebration but to decry the suffering and panic the management of the MAPOLY has subjected us to as students. Our offense as Nigerian students is that we want to be educated and the Dr Adeoye Odedeji led management of MAPOLY is saying education is not for the poor’.
“Few months ago in the last academic session, tuition fee for both ND and HND students was increased including part time students whose figure is not accurately given. We resisted this increment and came to a benchmark of reduction in the initially added amount after due consultation’.
‘The clear promise made to the students’ body by this same Dr Odedeji and other members of the management team is that there will no longer be increment. At least, not in his own time as the Ag. Rector.
‘Little did we know that he was only waiting for the state government to confirm his appointment as substantive Rector before unveiling his anti-poor policy to make MAPOLY unaffordable for the masses\’, they said.
‘Without considering the economic conditions of parents and guardians, tuition fees were increased outrageously again for two consecutive sessions. This is the highest level of discomfort any management could think of putting the students through’.
‘We would have considered that lack of funding is the reason for increasing tuition fee as claimed by the management, but how do we reconcile that with the fact that the same Dr Odedeji and few of his associates in the school are buying generators, vehicles and other properties with and through the school resources and yet diverting it to be their private properties’.
‘Even with the last tuition fee increment, there is no significant change in the institution nor in the payment of staff salary. It is disheartening that cleaners and other ‘petty’ workers who are on as little as #10,000 salary per month are owed several months of their salary’.
‘It is only when it comes to maintaining infrastructures and paying staff salary that the management start complaining of no funds. But they manage to get the fund to finance their embezzlement and diversion’.
‘Under the same management, projects and contracts are awarded through nepotistic means and at high rate for their personal commission. This is to show that the problem is not lack of fund but the insatiable desire of the Rector and his friends to make illegal income by all means.”
‘Acceptance Fee (science students) N25,500 increased to N35,500; ND N55,000 and HND N51,000 increased to N62,000 and N58,000 respectively; Fresh students (non-science students) ND N51,000 and HND N46,000 increased to N58,000 and N53,000 respectively; Returning students (science) N46,000 for both ND and HND increased to N53,000; and Returning students (non-science) N41,000 for both ND and HND increased to N48,000’.
Penpushing further reports that Public Relations Officer of the polytechnic, Yemi Ajibola when contacted, despite assurance to get back to journalists, was yet to do that as at the time of filing this report.
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