The management of the Lagos State University (LASU), on Thursday, commenced refund of about N307 million, being the accumulated excess fees paid by the students during the fee hike regime.

At a ceremony organised to mark the commencement of the process, the vice chancellor of LASU, Professor John Obafunwa, described the occasion as an epoch.

He said: “What many had thought was impossible is what we are witnessing today. Some individuals tried to take advantage of the slow pace of the refund and kept saying that the management had no intention of making the refund.

“Government had to look for money everywhere to make the refund. It is a process that involved many people, including the House of Assembly. The governor had to scrutinise all the papers and eventually, approval was given.”

Obafunwa also said the institution had shelved the collection of fees, because it wanted to ensure the refund was made first.

He said: “That is why we did not ask anyone to pay their fees. We wanted to refund the students first. That will put us in a moral position to ask them to pay their fees.”

Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Chief Fatai Olukoya, who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola, said the exercise was a proof that the government was committed to the fulfilment of the promise it made concerning the refund.

Reading from the governor’s speech, the adviser noted that LASU is, today, the only state university in Nigeria with the lowest fees.

The event, which was held at the university auditorium, was attended by students, lecturers and management staff of the university.

•Sourced from Nigerian Tribune.

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