The students’ wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG-SW) has kicked against moves by some northern federal universities to hike their tuition fees.
The students expressed worry over the indiscriminate hike in students’ tuition, and warned of its consequences on the educational development of northern Nigeria.
Addressing the press in Abuja yesterday, national coordinator of the group, Comrade Emuseh Gimba Bokunga described the move particularly by the University of Maiduguri, Federal University, Dutse and the Federal University, Lafia to increase tuition as insensitive to the plight of Nigerian students who are currently facing harsh economic reality.
The group threatened to mobilise regionwide protests that will shut down all campuses and occupy northern states capitals should the universities refused to reverse the move.
Highlighting the consequences of the hike on students and parents, CNG said if left unchecked, the action will lead to massive dropouts and return of millions of youths in this region back to the streets.
Consequently, the group issued a set of demands for all stakeholders to act and checkmate “this unfolding ugly scenario by ensuring an immediate downward review of hiked tuition across the universities in the North”.
The group also demanded that the northern elite and all stakeholders to speak up to reject and discourage the passage of the Education Loan Bill as the life span, and sustainability of the loan is not guaranteed.
“And in the event the passage of the Bill becomes inevitable, we demand your urgent intervention in ensuring the provision of easy accessibility and soft repayment clauses therein. We also warn vice chancellors of universities in the region to avoid the eventual hazards and unforeseen circumstances by ensuring that no student drops out from universities as a result of these increases,” Bokunga said.
He added, “We appeal to the northern elite, especially the business community to please support public university education in their domains. We find it regrettable that as a result of these poorly designed policies, hunger is stalking millions of homes, inflation is making life difficult by the day, people are losing jobs, businesses are closing down infrastructure is decaying, young Nigerians are losing hope of being employed, hospitals are full of people who suffer various illnesses, and cannot afford the fees”.
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