NANS President, Comrade Danielson Bamidele, exchanging a COVID-19 handshake with Ondo state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
Toluwalope Jombo – Akure
The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, and Ondo state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu have discussed possibility of tuition cut for students in tertiary institutions in Ondo state.
NANS leadership initiated discussion on the tuition cut when they met with the Governor on Wednesday at the Governor’s office, Alagbaka, Akure.
The students body declared its support for the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN, rating the governor’s performance across the state as impressive.
READ : Magistrate court in Rivers sentences woman to 10 years imprisonment for child trafficking
The student body led by its President, Comrade Danielson Bamidele commended the strides recorded across the various sectors of the state by the Akeredolu administration.
The NANS President appreciated Governor Akeredolu for his interventions at the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa (OAUSTECH), saying, the interventions have turned the school around for good.
He appealed to the Governor to reconsider the tuition payable in the state owned institutions in Ondo.
Advertisement.
NANS leadership has been in Ondo state for three days, where they embarked on inspection and monitoring of the governor’s projects.
Speaking, the former senate president of NANS, Olalekan Edward, said Governor Akeredolu’s projects are speaking for him within and outside the state.
”Your projects are speaking for you. President Buhari has commendations for you. APC has commendations for you. Outsiders have commendations for you. And we agree that there must be consistency in development. Governor Akeredolu is doing well.”
Responding, Governor Akeredolu who said students are important to his administration, disclosed that he had instructed his team to find out the tuition payable in other state owned institution so as to know what step to take on the reduction of tuition in the state.
”Students are important to us. It will take all of us to sit down to have this discussion about tuition. It’s not a discussion of the deaf. All of us will be hearing. A time when you go to Abuja and take N9million as against when you go to Abuja now and get far less and you have to pay salary.
READ ALSO : Rivers state gov’t takes over case of murder against dismissed police officers
“Unlike somebody that decided not to pay for seven months. I met seven months salary arrears and I have paid six. So I prioritized the workers’ welfare. We shore up our IGR to spend more on infrastructure. I note what you have raised on this issue of fee.
“At my last meeting, I have said let me have where they are paying less than what we charge here. What we found out was that for those newly admitted, we still charge the lowest in tuition but for the second year and all, we have state owned institutions that charge lesser then us. And if not for this issue of COVID-19, we have decided to reduce it. We will reduce it.
“It’s not a matter for political gains. I know by the time we announce it they will turn it to political gains. We will make sure that by next week we make the announcement on the fee”.
