By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Awka, Anambra State, Professor Charles Esimone, has called on the general public to disregard a misleading information trending on the social media of a purported hike in school fees in the institution.

He said on Saturday that there is no increase in any fees, including tuition, faculty, department, association dues, etc, for students of the university.

Esimone said the institution has maintained the fees the way they were since 2019 till date, saying that there is no plan to make students gnash their teeth now, especially with the current excruciating economic realities in the country.

The Vice Chancellor made this known in a press statement signed by the Ag. Head Information and Public Relations, Chika Gladys Ene. He regretted that such wrong information was capable of causing chaos and jeopardizing the peace and tranquil atmosphere being enjoyed in the university.

While saying that UNIZIK is known for academic excellence and production of quality graduates, Esimone enjoined all concerned to treat the news of the purported increment as false and misleading.

He described it as a false alarm, triggered towards destabilizing the peace being enjoyed in the university.

The statement reads in part: “The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka has come to note the rumour on a purported increment in tuition fees of returning students of the institution for 2020/2021 academic session being spread on the social media.

“For clarity, the university management has not increased tuition fees for students since harmonizing fees payable by students in 2019, which include dues such as faculty, department, association and the convocation fee for graduating classes.

“As such, the news making the rounds of an increment in tuition is not only false but misleading and an attempt to cause unrest in the university.

“We urge our bona fide students, staff and the general public to treat as false the news of the purported increment as it remains a false alarm, triggered towards destabilizing the peace being enjoyed in the university.”