The National Association of Nigerian Students, Lagos Zonal Joint Campus Committee, frowns upon the recent scandalous and unjustified increment in the tuition fees of the Lagos State University. The body therefore wishes to make the following observations on the matter:That the problems on LASU campuses today are traceable to issues bordering on the commercialisation of education, chronic under-funding, under-staffing, insufficient and obsolete educational facilities;And that the condition under which LASU students carry out their academic pursuit is deplorable, unbearable and does not make any difference from the period when the tuition was N250 and now that N25,000 is being paid as not to talk of increasing same by 725 per cent by the authorities as recently indicated.We see the 725 per cent increment in the tuition fees as a means of promoting illiteracy in Lagos State; thus, denying Lagosians and the children of the less privileged in society access to education which is supposed to be free and functional at all levels as stipulated in Section 18- (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that, Government shall strive to eradicate illiteracy, and to this end, Government shall as and when practicable, provide(c) free university education.Lagos State ranks third in the record of Federal allocation and also receives about N7.358bn monthly from the Federation Account and generates more than N18bn monthly as Internally Generated Revenue, yet it cannot commit the resources to fund education.The suffering masses of Nigerian students cannot be made to bear the brunt of governments gross underfunding of education in the state.We see the pronouncement of the increment by the university management, obviously in tandem with the state government as an indication of insensitivity, recklessness and thoughtlessness having mismanaged the scarce funds made available to the institution.We wish to inform Nigerians that, the crisis in education is a fall-out of the general decadence permeating every facet of the countrys social life. Hence, it cannot be resolved outside of it and it shows that both the federal and state governments dont have anything to offer Nigerians and that they lack policies that can move Nigeria forward.We therefore resolve as follows:That the management of LASU and the Lagos State Government are hereby advised to maintain the statutory tuition fee because we cannot allow education to be transformed into quasi-aristocratic and petty bourgeoisie romanticism.We decry the attempt to privatise and commercialise education in Lagos State because it will lead to LASU being converted into an academic factory of the privileged in society. The economic situation in this country makes it difficult for people to afford three square meals let alone to pay astronomical amount as school fees.We hereby call on the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, National Association of Academic Technicians, Non-Academic Staff Union, Nigeria Labour Congress and the CLO to throw their weight behind us in solidarity, so that our education will be better funded with the Nigerias abundant resources. We demand a university that would foster knowledge in the service of growth and in so doing, it will necessarily challenge the old ideas, thus producing new ideas that will be fruitful to both students, lecturers and for the development of our dear Nation.We are tormented by the empty lives of our parents and shall do anything to resist any repressive act by way of tuition fee or service charge.Signed: Bello Ibrahim A.,Chairman; Obera Solomon, Secretary.
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