AAU TUITION: SIT, FOFSUL In A Showdown...
...who blinks first?
By: Oriaifoh Godwins
Tension appears to be mounting again, as the Forum of Former Students' Union Leaders, FOFSUL, in a release they captioned: "WE MATCH AGAINST THE ODDITIES, RE: Exorbitant School Fees/Dues Increment And A Call For Urgent Reduction", dated 20/06/2023, and signed by the National President, Comrade Isaac O. J. Ifijen, and the National Secretary, Comrade Ehijie O. Francis, where they call on all Market women, Traders, Artisans, Civil servants, Farmers, to join in demanding for a reduction of the school fees on a solidarity march, if the management of Ambrose Alli University, AAU, refuse to listen to their collective voice.
The statement reads in part; "Our attention has been drawn to the publication of Ambrose Alli University Management, Ekpoma of the deadline slated for the payment of acceptance cum school fees. The inimical move, is to suppress, oppress and threaten students who have been offered provisional admission to various departments and degree programmes for the 2022/23 academic session".
FOFSUL in their release, accused AAU management of wilfully and deliberately ignoring their call for dialogue that they communicated to the management of the instruction on the 29th January and the 7th of June, 2023 respectively, saying; 'that act was a systematic means to subvert the process of consultations and consolidation.
FOFSUL called on the members of the public to remain calm, as the said publication of the management was to cause tension and quicken what they described as 'inhuman reality, and implementation of anti-people, anti-educational and anti-developmental policy'.
Finally, also in their release, FOFSUL called on the state government, Edo state House of Assembly, Edo state Commissioner of Police, Traditional leaders and all stake holders to advice and intervene as their planned solidarity match will threaten the peace, commerce, security of Edo central Senatorial district in particular, and Edo state in general.
It can however be recalled that earlier in May, the authority of the institution in a Press release, dated, Wednesday, 24th May, 2023, and signed by the Acting Registrar Comrade Ambrose E. Odiase, and the Administrative Officer/PRO, Information, Public Relations/Protocol Division of the University, Dcn. Comr. L. I Isiraojie, denied any form of increment in the school fees of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.