Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has calmed frayed nerves by voiding the decision of the management of Abia State University (ABSU) led by Prof. Maxwell Ogbulu to increase the tuition fee of the school by over 350 percent.
The invoice given some fresh students which went viral yesterday showed that undergraduates in some departments had their fees skyrocket from N122,000 to N500,000.
Disturbed by the development, Ikpeazu who is the Visitor to ABSU, directed the the institution’s management to immediately cancel the increase in school fees it announced on Monday.
Ikpeazu, through his chief press secretary, Sir Onyebuchi Ememanka, said the increase which is by over 350 percent was unacceptable to the government, especially given the current economic realities in the country.
“The governor who acknowledged that it is becoming increasingly challenging for the university to play its role under the current fiscal regime, however, added that the management must understand clearly that it must ensure that children of the poor in the state are given the opportunity to access tertiary education,” Ememanka said.
Ikpeazu further directed the university management to engage all relevant stakeholders before contemplating any geometric hike in the school fees.
He assured the people that the state government would continue to support the institution with subventions and told the students, parents and guardians that their interests will consistently be protected by his administration
