A destroyed refinery By Favour Ifeoluwa & Akinola Ajibade The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited( NNPCL) says it has destroyed 134 illegal refineries in the last few weeks. Also, the company said 63 illegal pipeline connections were uncovered during the the weeks . The corporation, In a visual report, stated that at about 2 am on Sunday, a joint team of security agents discovered a large wooden boat illicitly loading stolen crude oil from Barge AGS01 within the OML 18 operating area, noted intelligence report a large wooden wooden boat was caught receiving crude oil from the barge. According to the state-owned oil firm, while the barge was towed away with a tugboat in custody, five speedboats used in towing the large wooden boat to the illegal loading site were also detained and the particulars of the tugboats and barge used for the operation were reportedly seized for further investigation. It further said that two large boats, which involve
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)
Comments
Post a Comment