By Young Erhiurhoro
LAGOS MARCH 24TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Students and those just graduated from the weekend and sandwich degree programmes of the Delta State University (Delsu), Abraka, Delta recently cried out to the federal government to intervene for being charged illegal fees to collect their results.
Speaking to newsmen with different complaints of illegal fees being charged by the university authority, Mr. Felix Gowon, a student who graduated from the said academic programme in the university three years said, “My name is Mr. Felix Gowon. I graduated from the weekend programme of the university since 2016 when Professor Peretomode was the vice chancellor. In the process many of us from both the weekend and sandwich degree programmes had some problems with carry over courses and projects. Based on this, we couldn’t get our results as at when due. We tried to rectify the issues with the old Vice Chancellor but there was no headway. At last, the Vice Chancellor now granted us amnesty to pay the sum of N150, 000.00 to clear and have our results. Some of us paid this money before a new Vice Chancellor took over and the whole arrangement later changed.”
“Most suprisingly, the new Vice Chancellor now said we must pay new school fees from 2016 till date. Many of us revoked against it that it’s not done anywhere. It’s extortion on our part. Many of us are jobless in the first place and we are living in real critical economic conditions under this President Buhari’s government. The option is that, if we’re to pay the school fees as the normal process, then the amnesty fee should be totally removed. We disagree to pay the amnesty fee.”
“Therefore, we are at this time calling on the National Universities Commission (NUC) and ASUUN to wield into the matter to avoid protest. We want to also appeal to the Delta state commissioner for higher education, Professor Patrick Muoboghare to look into this oppression and extortion on us as graduating students of the academic institution and to proffer solutions to it as fast as possible.
“This is outright injustice against our fundamental human rights in this country. They should be called to order to avoid break down of law and order in the university community.” He said.
All efforts to speak to the Vice Chancellor of the university proved abortive as at the time of filing in this report.
•