NANS. Akwa Ibom State condemns arbitrary fee increments in AKSU & UNIUYO, threatens protest

The Joint Campus Committee (JCC) of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Akwa Ibom State Axis, has issued a press statement strongly condemning the recent "arbitrary and excessive fee increments" imposed by the Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) and the University of Uyo (UniUyo).

​NANS JCC Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Peter Obong, expressed "serious concern" that these increases were carried out "without consultation or transparency," causing significant "distress among students and their families".

​Obong emphasized the unacceptability of the situation, especially given the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that every Nigerian has access to "quality education". He stated that such actions by institutions and individuals are "attempting to make education unnecessarily expensive and inaccessible".

​The student leadership also voiced strong condemnation, warning that some institutions appear to be "exploiting the NELFUND student loan scheme to justify these steep increases".

​Comrade Obong has called on the Ministry of Education and all relevant authorities to:

​Immediately intervene in the matter.

​Ensure that the increments are reviewed.

​Initiate constructive dialogue with the student body.

​NANS JCC has given the institutions and relevant authorities a 7-day ultimatum to address the issue satisfactorily.

​Should there be no satisfactory response within the stipulated period, the NANS JCC leadership warns that a statewide protest will be mobilized. This protest will involve all tertiary institutions in Akwa Ibom State and is intended "to resist further exploitation".

​Comrade Obong concluded with a firm stance: "Education is a right, not a privilege. Students will continue to resist any attempt to make education inaccessible or unaffordable".