CSO Clarifies Certificate Fee At Auchi Polytechnic

A civil society organisation (CSO), Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI), has picked holes in a media report that the management of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, charges students N50,000 for the issuance of certificates.
The group described the figure as misleading and appealed for responsible journalism.

Reacting yesterday to the report published by an online medium, the group’s national coordinator, Comrade Danesi Momoh, and national secretary, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta, declared that the actual certificate fee was is N25,000 , while an additional N10,000 charged for a brochure is optional.

EUYI questioned how the media outfit arrived at the purported N50,000 fee, describing the discrepancy as troubling and capable of generating unnecessary tension between the students and the management of Auchi Polytechnic.
Momoh said, “How the medium (name withheld) arrived at N50,000 when the actual certificate fee including the optional brochure fee amounts to only N35,000 is very strange and smacks of journalistic mischief.”

Momoh, who issued a press statement on behalf of the group, noted that although students and parents have legitimate concerns about the affordability of educational services, public discussions and protests over institutional charges should be based on accurate and verifiable information.

He urged the authors of the report to investigate the figures, obtain clarification from the institution’s management and publish a correction where necessary to pacify the polytechnic community as a way of averting anarchy and breakdown of law and order.

He said, “The speed of publication should never take precedence over accuracy. A report that contains an incorrect figure can mislead readers, damage reputations and create avoidable disputes between institutions and their stakeholders.”

EUYI also called on the management of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, to ensure transparency in communicating approved fees in a timely manner to students and other stakeholders to prevent misinformation and unnecessary controversy which could escalate into civil unrest on campus.

While acknowledging the media’s role in promoting accountability, the group stressed that journalists “must uphold professional standards by verifying allegations, seeking responses from affected parties and correcting inaccuracies promptly” .

It further urged the students, parents and civil society organisations to exercise restraint and avoid drawing conclusions from unverified reports.
Momoh said the CSO’s position was not intended to discourage legitimate student grievances or shield educational institutions from public scrutiny, but to promote fairness, accuracy and constructive engagement.