NANS asks Govt to halt hike in tuition fee, says it’s inimical to national security
Samuel Luka, Bauchi
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has demanded that the country’s governments at various levels, put a stop to any further increments in tuition fees in tertiary institutions.
National President of the Association, Comrade Usman Umar Barambu who tendered the demand while speaking during the 1st North-East Zonal Senate sitting of the Association at the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic (ATAP), Bauchi on Thursday, warned that the action is inimical to national security.
Barambu who said that the students need to go back to the spirit of togetherness in facing their common challenges, noted that the increase in school fees has negatively affected them, particularly those who are less privileged.
“We need to fold back to that spirit of togetherness because an injury to one is injury to all, let us return back to that so that if we have problem, collectively we will come and solve it”, he said.
“One of the major challenges confronting us is the issue of school fee increments that is going round our tertiary institutions, they are now doing it secretly”, he said.
The NANS President said “from our findings, during the ASUU strike, it’s like government and ASUU have reached agreement to increase school fees so that we can bear the brunt”.
On what action the association can take should the government failed to listen to their plights, Umar Barambu said that the association will take a national action in resolving the issue.
“We will not take it and we are preparing to take a national action on that. Very soon, we will give the directive on how to go about it”, he said.
Barambu said, if the government refuse to stop the school fee increments, many students will be thrown out of school, thereby, worsening the security situation in years to come.
“If someone in 300 level can not afford to pay his school fee, he would be forced to drop out of the school and because of that he will be very angry and can do worst of it”, the NANS President said.
Barambu while advising the government to look at the negative impact of increasing school fee from the angle of security, said if the action continues, no less than 60 percent of students would drop out of school.
He opined that the tuition fees must be brought down to be commensurate with the present economic situation in the country.
According to him, failure to do that, the government should be held responsible for any thing that happens as a result of the hike in the tuition fees.
“Let the government tackle the issue before it gets out of hand. Frustration can lead one to do a lot of things. All these issues of insurgency started from this kind of things, frustration and mindset”, he said.
The NANS President appealed to the security agencies to advise the government on the security implication embedded in the action before it becomes late.