By CHARLES IWUOHA

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Zone ‘B’ South-East and South-South, has kicked against increase in school fees and other levies by the management of Ebonyi State University.

The Coordinator, NANS Zone B South-South/South-East, Comrade Nwuruku Olisa Alfred, who made the feelings of the Association known during a Press Conference in Abakaliki, called on the university management to scrap the newly introduced levies, including developmental levies and accreditation fees due to the bad shape of the nation’s economy now.

According to him, it has become necessary for the management to reconsider their request by stepping down the newly introduced levies.

He said that students' leadership would make its final position known after the Congress of the Students’ Union scheduled to hold on February 1, 2022.

He, however, appealed to the students to be law-abiding and not to take laws into their hands in their quest to seek reversal of the fee increase.

“I applauded the management of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, for always hearkening to the cries of the students. I initiated negotiations with themanagement on the need to have a second thought on the newly introduced “Developmental levy” for 100 level students, and accreditation fees for continuous students, considering the economic situation in the country.

“Based on this, we pleaded that the levies be scraped or possible adjustment done immediately.

“While we lend our voices to the SUG leadership to chart a way forward, we’ve resolved to be following up the resolutions of the Congress and to follow-up accordingly to make sure that Nigerian students get relieved from this sudden hike in their tuition fees through initiation of some new fees into the university, amidst the economic situation in the country,” Nwuruku said.

The NANS delegation, according to Nwuruku, had earlier presented other issues, including students’ welfare but the university management promised to address everything by paying full attention to their requests as usual.

Meanwhile, the NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC), Ebonyi State, has been inaugurated, following the dissolution of all standing committees of the South East and South-South zones at the 58th convention ofNANS zone B, held in December 2021.

The Coordinator, NANS Zone B South-South/South-East, Comrade Nwuruku Olisa Alfred, after the inauguration, charged the new committee to be steadfast in discharging their duties without undermining accountability and probity.

He noted that the Joint Campus Committee is in charge of all the institutions of learning in all the states of South-South and South-East; saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of the Students’ Union Governments (SUG).

The new committee is chaired by Comrade Ettu Maduabuchi Eze, a post-graduate student of Alex Ekweme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, Ikwo (AE-FUNAI).