ASUU denies comments on tuition hike in varsities

    

The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Ibadan Chapter, Dr Deji Omole, yesterday denied issuing any statement to any media house on increment of fees in 38 universities across the country.

Describing the reports as mischievous and devilish, he said it was a demonstration of ‘junk journalism.’

In an electronic mail to Vanguard in Ibadan, he clarified that he was never in Abuja and neither did he speak with any medium, let alone issuing any release concerning fee hike in varsities.

He recalled that ASUU was reported in some national dailies as having mentioned names of 38 universities where fees have been increased by their administrations.

Omole noted that ASUU as a responsible pro-public education and masses union must not be linked to independent investigations conducted on education in Nigeria to make it authentic.

Meantime, the  Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has dismissed media reports listing it among 38 Nigerian universities that recently increased their school fees describing the report as absolute falsehood.

In a statement by its Head, Corporate Affairs, Tunde Olofintila, ABUAD insisted that school fees for the institution have not been increased in the last two years.

The statement reads in part: “We want to say in clear, unambiguous and unmistakable terms that the information which was attributed to the Chairman of the University of Ibadan Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Deji Omole, is absolute falsehood with intent to misinform and mislead the public and deliberately distort the facts and circumstances surrounding our fees regime in ABUAD.

“We would like to say very equivocally and unambiguously that very much to the contrary of this spurious and speculative claim and for the records, we have not increased our tuition fees. For the avoidance of doubt, we have not in any way increased the tuition fees from N675,000 to N1,075,000 as claimed in the publication or at all.”

“We make bold to say that our fees have remained the same in the last two years the biting economic recession the country is wading through notwithstanding.’’

Source: Vanguard