TheCable

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the management of  Lagos State University (LASU) of  increasing acceptance fee for its personal gains.

The university had announced the increment of its acceptance fee from N10,000 to N20,000.

In a statement by Olusiji Sowande, coordinator, ASUU Lagos zone, the union rejected the claim that the institution needed the money to provide more infrastructure.

“Comrades and compatriots, recall that one of the reasons adduced for the political onslaught on our Union in our September 13, 2017 press interaction was the intention of LASU Administration led by Prof. Lanre Fagbohun to increase fees payable by students at LASU,” the statement read.

“It is pertinent to ask the university administration for the logic behind the recent increase in acceptance fee by 100%! Whereas, LASU gets steady monthly subvention of N450 million compared with Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye and Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode both within our Lagos zone, which receives far less.

ASUU-LASU members at a congress

“Without mincing words, it is not out of place to conclude that the desire to generate funds internally, is largely meant for the comfort of those in the administration at the expense of education seeking children and their economically well-battered parents.

“The Vice Chancellor’s anti-peoples policy manifests in the excuse that lack of infrastructure made the Institution to admit 3,500 candidates for the incoming session instead of 8,000 candidates approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

“The immediate implication of this is that 4,500 youths in Lagos, had been denied the opportunity to fulfil their aspiration of university admission this year with its attendant social consequences on Lagos and its environs.

“In order to fill the financial gap created by the reduction in number of admitted candidates therefore, led to the outrageous increment of acceptance fee from N10, 000 to N20, 000!

“It appears that the vice-chancellor needs an organisation as bold and courageous as our union to tell him that this is more than likely to impact on the number that the supervising agency of government (NUC) will allocate to LASU in subsequent admission exercise having demonstrated lack of capacity to absorb its calculated actual potential.

“It is our considered opinion that the authorities of LASU should be put on notice that our Great Union in conjunction with other interest groups in the state and beyond will resist this increment until it is reversed.”