Why we increased LASU fees, by Fashola

FRESH facts on what led to the decision to increase tuition fees at the Lagos State University may be emerging as the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the decision was reached after the students besieged the Lagos State House of Assembly, demanding for something to be done about the deplorable situation at the institution.

Fashola, who was playing host in Ikeja yesterday to leaders of the National Associations of Nigerian Students‎ (NANS) told the leadership of student unions across the country to brace up for future leadership roles in the country.

He urged students’ leadership to use student unionism as a platform and an opportunity to prepare themselves for future leadership that earnestly awaits them.

Fasola told the visiting NANS executives that their actions and inactions as student leaders would define their perception of leadership both now and in the near future.

While calling on students’ body in the country to change its style of pressing home its demands, the governor pledged to always pursue policies that would enhance the standard of education.

“We didn’t just wake up one day and decided to increase the tuition of the school but it was you the students who protested to the State House of Assembly to complain over the state of the school. And based on your complaints, we acted accordingly.

“Part of the recommendation by the visitation panel was that the tuition of the school should be increased for the progress of the school.”

Fashola, who also got a certificate of commendation from NANS over his decision to revert to the old tuition fees being paid in the state-owned university, promised to interface with his Ogun State counterpart- Ibikunle Amosun to resolve the face-off between him and students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University.

Earlier in his address, the leader of the delegation, Yakubu Eletu had appealed to the governor to ensure the release of some students of the Lagos State University arrested during the protests against hike in school fees.

He said: “Some of the students have been asked to face the Senate because they protested over the increase in tuition fees and some are being denied the opportunity to go for their NYSC because the school management withheld their call-up letters. We want the governor to prevail on the Vice Chancellor to sheath his sword and allow the students who want to go for NYSC to do so.”

It will be recalled that the Lagos State government had increased tuition fees at LASU between N200, 000 and N350, 000 only to revert to the old fees of N25, 000 during the school’s convocation ceremony recently.

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