Oando Plc Favour Ifeoluwa & Akinola Ajibade Oando Plc says it has completed and won the bid for the operatorship of oil block KON 13 in Angola. The firm which recently acquired Eni of Italy’s oil assets in Nigeria, said that the award of the oil block located in Angola’s onshore Kwanza Basin followed a competitive bidding process by the country’s oil and gas sector regulator. It further said hat the asset in which it owns 45 per cent participating interest, has estimated prospective resources of 770 to 1,100 million barrels of oil. Oando is handling its operations relating to the asset through its upstream subsidiary, Oando Energy Resources (OER). “Oando Plc, Africa’s leading indigenous energy solutions provider listed on both the Nigerian Exchange Limited and Johannesburg Stock Exchange is pleased to announce that its upstream subsidiary, Oando Energy Resources (OER), has been awarded operatorship of Block KON 13 in Angola’s Onshore Kwanza Basin, following a...
By Akinola Ajibade
Parents and Guardians of students of Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi state capital are demanding for the sack of the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Olayemi Akinwumi, in the event that he fails to reverse the 300 per cent hike in the tuition fees.
The school's spokesman, Mr Moses Abraham, who addressed the parents and newsmen at the Nigerian Union of Journalists ( NUJ) Press Centre in Lokoja, said that the management of the institution did not take due cognizance of the current economic situation in the country to effect the hike.
“The Vice Chancellor is a civil servant and we expected that he should be aware of the current economic doldrum the people of this country are passing through recently.
The Parents decried the almost 300 per cent “arbitrary” increase in tuition fees newly introduced by the management of the institution.
Abraham said the parents would soon take to the streets in protest and swore to continue until the management of the university reversed itself over the increment.
He said the increment in school fees which is almost 300 percent was aimed at denying indigent Nigerian masses and their children, the acquisition of university education.
According to Abraham, remedial courses which had N50,000 tuition are now N100,000 while fees for fresh undergraduates intake which, formerly N56,000, is now N188,500.
“The fees for new intake Art/Social Sciences hitherto N55,000 has been increased to N183,500 just as returning students are expected to pay N113,000 against the former fees of N47,000.
“Student accommodation per bed space which was charged for N20,000 before has been hiked by the Vice Chancellor to N60,000 while the GST handbook sold to students at N1,500 per copy now N6,500”, he said.
“We therefore call on the Federal Government through the Minister of Education, to prevail on the Vice Chancellor to reverse the hike in the fees before he collapse the only Federal University in Kogi state.
“How can people pay their children’s school fees with the current increment when sources of income remain stagnant?” he queried.
Another parent who expressed her feelings over the hike in fees, Mrs Florence Anachebi said, “When the Federal Government established the university few years ago we were happy.
“But the current Vice Chancellor wants to deny us the opportunity to train our children because since he came he has virtually increased all charges and now the school fees”.
Reacting to the development, the Public Relation Officer of the university, Mr Daniel Ikechukwu said the increase was yet to be made official though it has already reflected on the school portal.
“It is important for parents, students and the public to give us benefit of the doubt and be patient before the official release of any document to that effect before any body can complain”, he said. (Ends)
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