VC AAU, Ekpoma Clarifies Current Chargeable Fees For Fresh Students, Returning Students
Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma in Edo State has been in the news for a while as a fall out of the alleged hike in the institution’s tuition fees and other ancillaries, such as Edo Health Insurance Scheme (EDOHIS) culminating in students protest, shutting down of campus and dissolution of the Student Union Government (SUG). In order to set the record straight the Acting Vice Chancellor, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin held a media parley at the Press Centre of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), 1, Sir Gabriel Igbinedion Way, GRA, Benin City on Tuesday, 19th Sept. 2023, write Editor Gentechnews, Tony Nwakaegho.
Acting Vice Chancellor, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin has appreciated the immense, collective and individual support of members of the Edo State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for the University, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, in the past few months following the alleged hike in tuition fees and shutting down of academic activities.
The VC AAU commended the NUJ for allowing one of them, who was former Chairman, Otunba Mike Aladenika, to join the University where he has been showing the good stuff, commitment and resilience that journalists are made of.
Prof. Adagbonyin stated that “For long, purveyors of falsehood, merchants of propaganda, dwellers in the mansions of blackmail and revellers in the habit of reputation damage and de-marketing have used Ambrose Alli University and its Management as cannon fodder for pleasure and political profit. Perhaps no other University than AAU, a University that has produced great men and women, has suffered such bad press and been so pummelled.”
Speaking on the issue of school fees and protests in AAU, Prof. Adagbonyin stated that this appears to have formed the basis of other concerns, adding “I will tell you here today, Gentlemen of the Press, and upon my honour as the Ag. Vice Chancellor and on behalf of the Management and the Senate of the University that there is no increment in the TUITION fees of returning students. This is contrary to the news making the rounds that AAU has increased tuition fees for returning students to about 100%. Some reports even say 200% or 300%. (We have taken time to produce for you the current chargeable fees in AAU as paid by both fresh students and returning students).
The full text of Acting Vice Chancellor, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin are published here:
The On-going Students’ Protests
It is imperative for us to make public some facts as they relate to the ongoing protests in AAU. The erstwhile Student Union leaders currently leading protests against alleged hike in school fees, were part of the team that negotiated the ”add-on” fees they are now protesting against. When the then leadership threatened to shut the University gate because of some perceived issues, that of school fees was not even high up on the list of the issues. The only aspect of their agitation that is related to fees was the inclusion of returning (old) students in the Edo Health Insurance Scheme (EDOHIS). They claimed that they had reached an agreement with the Management of EDOHIS to exclude all returning students from 300L and above from the scheme. The students were informed that the agreement they spoke about would be implemented only if it was true and was officially communicated to the University Management. That communication has not reached us as we speak.
Management’s Position on EDOHIS
Management’s position was predicated on the fact that the EDOHIS is a policy of the Edo State Government and is currently being implemented across all tertiary institutions in the state and the decision to waive it or to determine its method of implementation for one institution could never be arbitrary. Let it be put on record that of all the tertiary institutions in Edo State enrolled in the EDOHIS policy, AAU students pay the least. Whereas other institutions pay N20,000, AAU students pay N16,000, the outcome of concessions graciously granted to our University on special appeal by this same University Management.
Now, dialogue was initiated and was still ongoing between the Management and the students’ representatives, and most of the issues raised by the students were already being addressed, when the students began the protest two days to the Edo State Local Government elections. Obviously, they had other ideas and had already decided to adopt confrontation as a strategy before pretending to be engaged in consultation.
As an afterthought, the students hurriedly drafted a letter a day before the protest began and after meeting with the Acting Vice-Chancellor. The letter reached the Acting-Vice Chancellor the same day the protest began.
On Peaceful Protests
Management notes, as a matter of rights, that there is nothing wrong with peaceful protests when all other options have failed. But in this case, the dialogue option had not failed. The only problem was when the protesters now started using their right to protest to infringe on the rights of other persons. No right-thinking Management would fold its arms and watch students take protests to the level of anarchy and lawlessness.
The University Senate’s Position on the Locking of Gates
It is important to say here that the Senate of the University, prior to the current protest, had directed that under no circumstances should the University gates be shut in the name of protests. These protesters still dared the Senate and went ahead to lock up the University gates for days. Ambrose Alli University, like every organised university, has regulations guiding the activities of students. Any breach of the matriculation oath has its prescribed sanctions and consequences. The Management could not have looked away and allowed these acts of lawlessness to continue.
Entreaties
Representatives of the University Management made appeals to the leaders of the Student Union to be conscious of their matriculation oath, be law-abiding and conduct themselves appropriately. All these entreaties fell on deaf ears. Rather, more verbal threats of physical attacks were issued to the Management’s representatives.
Activities of the protesters led by the erstwhile Student Union Executives
The activities of the erstwhile Student Union leaders include and are not limited to holding hostage students who wanted to obey Senate’s directive to vacate the campus after Senate met, suspended academic activities and directed all students to go home, and openly beating up some of them; violently attacking and causing injuries to persons who wanted to access their place of worship on campus. (The affected persons reported this action to the police and even threatened to embark on a reprisal attack on the protesters.) Others were issuing threats to staff to prevent them from accessing their offices; allowing persons who are neither staff nor students of the University access to campus to hold inordinate and nocturnal meetings while chasing away and preventing staff and students from entering the campus. Not only these: they also prevented the ambulance conveying the remains of a departed Professor from entering the main campus of the University and chasing mourners and sympathisers who were at the gate to attend the statutory commendation service in honour of the late Professor thereby preventing the commendation service in his from taking place; embarking on protests without first seeking and obtaining the approval of the relevant office as required. There are other documented infractions. Ambrose Alli University has regulations guiding the activities of students. Any breach of the matriculation oath has its prescribed sanctions and consequences. The Management could not have looked away and allowed these acts of lawlessness to continue.
Dissolution of the Student Union
As a result of their infraction, the first step taken by Management was the immediate dissolution of the Student Union and the subsequent setting up of a Caretaker Committee to continue the dialogue with Management on behalf of the law-abiding students. Those already fingered and identified as culprits in these acts of lawlessness will definitely be held accountable in due time.
The Caretaker Committee
The Caretaker Committee is the child of necessity. As already mentioned, it was set up to continue the dialogue with Management on behalf of students who are committed to unfettered study in a peaceful atmosphere. It was a decision Management was compelled to take to halt the drift into anarchy. The Committee is made of level-headed students who are focused on ironing out areas of concern for the benefit of their colleagues. Upon appointment, they made three important demands which included request for publication of all the payable fees and add-ons in the institution to avoid speculations and misinformation, and the immediate resumption of dialogue with the University Management to address issues in contention. The other was for the Senate of the University to announce the resumption of academic activities. The Special Intervention Team (SIT) and the University Management have assured the CTC of their willingness to interface with them on all levels of concern. The Management has already published all payable fees in the University in line with their demands and will be convening a Senate meeting any time from now to consider resuming academic activities in the University.
On the Alleged Increase in School Fees
Gentlemen of the Press, it may interest you to know that, on the issue of an increase in school fees for returning students, the members of the dissolved Student Union made attempts to misinform the public about the “add-ons” to the tuition fees. Incidentally, these so-called “add-ons” are not new to the students. The students have been paying them. They include the following: Student Union Dues, Alternative Subscription Model (ASM) Fees (formerly known as technology fees) Interswitch Transaction Charges, EDOHIS, Access Card (formerly ID Card), Accreditation Fees, Student Union Dues and Sports Development Fee. (Details of these “add-ons” have also been produced for your perusal).
It may interest you to know that Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, is probably one of the few universities in Nigeria where students have the opportunity to pay their school fees instalmentally. In other words, they are allowed to pay twice in two semesters. This concession is granted to reduce the burden of students and their parents/guardians. Also please note that AAU is one of the few state-owned universities in Nigeria that does not charge discriminatory fees on the basis of indigene and non-indigene.
Breakdown of the “Add-Ons”
For the avoidance of doubt, these add-ons amounted to Fifty Thousand Two Hundred Naira (N50,200.00) only for all the programmes in the Faculties of Arts, Law, Management Sciences, Social Sciences and Environmental Studies; and for all the programmes in the Faculties of Agriculture, Education, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences. Others include the Departments of Anatomy and Physiology and, finally, the Department of Nursing and the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences. The over one hundred and twenty thousand naira (N120,000.00) being bandied by the students is totally false. The payment of N20,000.00 for the Learning Management System (LMS) is a “one-off”. In other words, students pay it only once throughout their programme so that those who already paid it at certain point in time in their programme only have Thirty Thousand Two Hundred Naira (N30,200.00) only as the total amount to pay as “add-ons” for the session. As a result of the ongoing repositioning of the MBBS programme, talks are currently on with critical stakeholders on what the realistic fees should be.
Marching Forward
The political dimension protests have taken in Ambrose Alli University is worth noting. On every impulse there is a growing tendency for people to go to the University gate and lock it. Non-state actors stir trouble from without. Internal issues in the University are externalised beyond the University community and selfish individuals seek to profit from it. We have this advice for all: give peace a chance.
Management assures all law-abiding students of the University that whatever concerns they may have will be adequately addressed. Management admonishes all students to always seek clarification and be well informed rather than engaging in acts that are detrimental to their wellbeing as students. A lot of misinformation is in the air, and all must keep emotions aside and seek clarifications whenever in doubt. Those seeking to have the correct information on the existing school fees regime in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, should visit: https://aauekpoma.edu.ng/study-at-aau/tuition-fees/