A member of the Niger State House of Assembly, Hon Ahmed Bello [PDP-Agwara constituency] has joined students of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, to protest against the tuition hike.
Some members and workers of the Assembly were locked out of the premises as the lawmaker and students blocked the entrance to the complex.
Bello presented the demands of the protesting students to the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon Jibrin Ndagi, who received the protesting students.
The students, however, vowed not to vacate the Assembly premises unless their demand for a reduction in tuition is addressed.
Bello said “I decided to join the students in solidarity because, as a postgraduate student of the institution, I feel the impact of the tuition hike and, like a true comrade, decided to join the peaceful protest. As the representative of the people, the Assembly is in a better position to take decisive action on the lingering school fee hike crisis threatening the peaceful academic environment of IBBU,”
Earlier, representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Ishaq Madaki and Abdulsalam Abdulganiu, had urged the Assembly to prevail on the state government to order the university management to further reduce the fees if they cannot return to the old rate.
Responding to the students’ demands, Deputy Speaker of the House Hon. Jibrin Ndagi assured the students that the lawmakers will look into their demands with a view to addressing the issues.
Niger State government had waded into the matter by announcing a reduction of the fees payable by returning indigenous students to N50,000, as against N67,929.
New students who are indigenes are to pay N95,675, as against the initial N129,675 proposed by the university management.
Similarly, non-indigenes returning students are now to pay N100,000, as against the N117,325 announced by the school; while new non-indigene students are to pay N170,000, as against the N201,217 proposed by the university management.
However, a Press release dated 20th August 2021 and signed by Markus David Sonoma, the Chief Press Secretary to IBBU Student Union Government president Mohammed Jibrin, insisted on total and absolute reversal of the tuition