NANS THREATENS TO BATTLE GOVERNMENT OVER HIKE IN SCHOOL FEES, FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to embark on civil disturbance if government executes its plans to remove fuel subsidy.
The Vice President, National affairs of NANS, Comrade Victor Ezenagu, on Wednesday in Abuja at a media briefing titled “The Paradox of a Collapsing Nation”, warned that any attempt to remove the subsidy will “boomerang and promote an eclipse of civil disobedience and public disorder”
Lamenting the poor state of refineries, he advised government to make existing refineries functional and build more refineries before embarking on subsidy removal.
“The government must be patient and not in a hurry to remove subsidy. Adequate measures should be put in place before the removal, we are very particular about the functionality of our refineries, it’s most unfortunate that up till now according to reliable source only one refinery is working even far less than its capacity about 30% optimum production.”
The NANS VP also challenged federal and state governments to immediately order the reversal of increment in school fees by some instititutions or be prepared to face the wrath of the over 40 million students in the country.
He said that effects of the school fees increment has made over 30% of students to become drop-outs and gone astray contributing only negatively to the society and made many parents undergo undue hardship, embarrassment and lost of honesty in other to meet up with the challenges.
He insisted that education should be subsidized for the children of the common man to be able to afford it before subsidy removal, adding that there must be a thorough sensitization of students on the meaning of subsidy and the consequences of its removal immediately by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and ministry of petroleum resources.
He said that a statement credited to the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu during the recent strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), that government alone could no longer fund education, has further encouraged some instititutions to hike their tuition fees over 100 per cent.
He said: “This awful scenario has led to the gumption of our school authorities to result to self-help in generating funding for our schools and the only help is to increase school fees with 100% and above increment as we have seen in recent school fees list of some institutions.
“NANS will not fold its arms and allow the government destroy our future, already the toll on our educational backwardness is telling on the youths with many of them losing their lives in a bid to survive the terrible economic hardship prostitution, internet theft, cultism and all kinds of negativities have eating deep into our youths.
“We have almost lost it all, our youths who are supposed to be leaders of tomorrow are now beggars of today’ but this government of NANS will not allow that to continue and in the light of this we demand immediate reduction of all increased school fees.
“If education cannot be free at least it must be affordable to all Nigerians
“We also demand increased budget allocation of education to 26%, increased funding for Tetfund, UBEC, and other associated educational funding agencies
“Increase welfare package including salaries for the school workforce both academic and non-academic staff, Generate human capital resources to expand teachers and lecturers across board.
He emphasised on the need for roundtable discussion by the ministry of education and educational stakeholders to formulate lasting educational policies for upward development of education.
