ASSU: How we rejected federal government N1m increase of school fees for all university students--Osodeke~details below

 According to Emmanuel Osodeke, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) who disclosed the plans of the federal government to increase university school fees during it's last negotiations but was rejected.

Mr Osodeke said we waged resistance for the federal government plans to increase school fees for all university students to one million naira, 

He further explained that "the federal government’s plan was to open what is called 'an education bank' and give each student a loan of one million naira annually at five percent interest rate to sponsor themselves in school and then pay back when they graduate and start working.

Osodeke who stated this while answering questions from participants at a one-day ‘state of the nation summit’ organised for ASUU members by the Bauchi zone of the union.

Mr Emmanuel Osodeke said “At the last negotiation, the first thing they told us was that we should negotiate for our allowances and salaries but we said no, let’s discuss funding first. When we know how much you’re going to pay, then we can negotiate salary. Reluctantly, they went on."

"Then, they raised another issue which was why we delayed for four years, that students must pay one million naira as school fees every year; the government said 70 per cent will be paid to the university while the student keeps 30 per cent."

"We asked them where and how the students would source the money and they told us not to worry. They said they would open an education bank and the students would go there and take the one million naira every year."

"And by the time you are graduating, you would have been owing five million naira or six million naira. If it takes you 20 years to get a job, that five per cent interest on that loan would be building."

"We said we will never allow that, and that was why we went on strike and we delayed in calling off the strike."

"If we had accepted that students pay one million naira as school fees, they would have increased our pay easily and who would the public and the students blame? It is ASUU.”