The Federal Government alleged plan to hike tuition fees payable in public Universities has attracted condemnation.
The Director, Media and Publicity, Abubakar Bukola Saraki Mandate Constituency Office, Alhaji Abdullahi Oganija, described the plan as ill-conceived and an attempt to deprive potential students from humble background right to quality education as constitutionally guaranteed.
He said no responsible government would think of denying its citizens standard education let alone astronomically increase tuition fees.
Oganija, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), told Journalists in Ilorin that many Nigerians have had to contend with harsh economic condition foisted on them by the government at the centre and turning around to further complicate their problems would be most unacceptable.
The Zonal Coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) Ibadan Zone, Dr Ade Adejumo, recently raised an alarm that the Federal Government was planning to increase tuition fees to a minimum of N350,000.
However, ABS Mandate Constituency Office Director said the government led by All Progressives Congress (APC) had shown every right thinking Nigerian that its time was up and it would be unfortunate if allowed to continue beyond 2019.
Oganija warned the government against any decision that would impoverish the more the less privileged in the society, saying government can only be entrusted with the mandate of the people to cater for their welfare and improve their standard of living.
“Since the alarm raised on the plan to hike tuition fees in public universities, we have become worried as stakeholders in the Nigerian project that this is another attempt to subject citizens to further hardship. This plan, if it is true as reported, is commendable.
“Our belief is that no responsible government would take such callous and heinous decision. As far as we are concerned, this decision is a recipe to perdition for government that has failed in its responsibility to improve on the standard of living of our people and reinvigorate the economy”, Oganija said.
He urged the citizens and particularly stakeholders in the education sector to rise against the planned hike in tuition fees in public owned universities.
