MR. LA CONDEMNS 300% HIKE IN TUITION FEES IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS KADUNA STATE…. Says Hike Is Outrageous, Inhuman And Astronomical.

“The recent insensitive sacking of civil servants in the state and the increasing cost of tuition fees in KASU, Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic and COE Kafanchan will most certainly squeeze the earnings of those fortunate civil servants who were not visited by the hammer of the governor”….Mr. LA.

“They may still have their jobs but they are not exempt from the biting pain of heavy taxes on their salaries and worsened by this wanton increase in tuition for their wards.  This action is callous and wicked, and does not in any way, look like the actions of a people’s leader”.

The over 300% recent hike by the Kaduna state government on tuition fees in its state owned higher institutions has continued to elicit outright condemnations by concerned stakeholders, owing to the harsh economic realities that are glaringly, visible across the country.

Prominent philanthropist and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Honourable Lawal Adamu Usman (Mr. LA), penultimate week, slammed the state governor over the increment, which in his opinion and that of other right thinking leaders in the state, view the over 300% hike as unthinkable, harsh and inconsiderate.

According to Mr. LA, who was the PDP Senatorial candidate for the 2019 Elections for the Kaduna Central Senatorial District, “for a government that, purportedly, rode on the back of the people to office to inflict such pains on its people, this is most unfair, harsh and unacceptable”.

The philanthropist made this known in a statement on the heels of growing concerns while addressing the  attempt by the Kaduna state government to justify its recent increase in tuition fees of higher institutions in Kaduna state including, Kaduna State University   (KASU), College of Education Kafanchan and Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic Zaria.

He said; “I am making this statement with a rather heavy heart. Bearing in mind the way and manner the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government of Kaduna state to fulfill the promises made during the 2015 and 2019 elections, regrettably the current Kaduna state government embarked on anti people policies and programmes that have dire and painful consequences on the populace”.

“The policies of the el-Rufa’i led government did nothing to ameliorate the pressing economic problems of impoverished masses, the administration farther placed a large segment of the society into scorching anguish of poverty”.

“One would have easily ignored the ridiculous attempt by the Kaduna state Government to justify its outrageous, inhuman and astronomical increase in tuition fees in the state owned higher institutions. Sadly, and for the fact that the reasons adduced and sited by the government smacks of wickedness, lack of compassion and failure to understand and share in the plight of the poor and common citizens of Kaduna state under the present harsh economic conditions. Unfortunately, most of these predicaments that befell the citizenry were imposed on them by the insensitive and directionless stewardship of the All Progressive Congress (APC) government in the state”.

The PDP chieftain, in his statement, condemned the statement made by the Secretary to the state government Mallam Balarabe Abbass Lawal who said, “Even primary and secondary schools in the state charge as high as 500,000.00 for tuition”.

Mr. LA wondered why the Secretary felt it was okay for the state government to impose an increase in tuition fees in Kaduna State’s higher institutions to more than 300 percent.

“For this statement to come from the SSG in a state, governed by a party that came to power, on the claims that it would give succor to the people, is not only regrettable but says volumes about the failure of governance in the state and lack of understanding of the elementary and fundamental responsibility of government upon its citizens”.

“We must remember the reason why states are created in the first place; it is done in order to elaborate governance for the common good of its citizen. It is to take care of the welfare of the people, provide a conducive and enabled environment for them to realize their potentials. Paramount among these basic welfare needs is education. Therefore, it makes no sense for a government to impose more hardship on parents and deprive innocent and law abiding children their fundamental right to get education in their state”. 

“The fact that the state government admitted that the increase in tuition fees are based on the high fees of private institutions, clearly shows that the government does not understand why it was elected in the first place. Governments are in place to institute law and order and provide services to its citizens but never as a profit-making organ of any nation”.

“Rather than mitigate the hardship, the present APC government is aggravating it the crunch already faced by majority of Kaduna state citizens”, Lawal Usman Adamu stressed.

He opined that the statement made by the Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Muhammad Sani Dattijo to justify the increase in tuition fees in KASU a based on the cost of equipment and libraries, which according to him “do not come cheap”, is unfortunate and tragic.

Mr. LA insists that, “the position of Mohammed Sani Dattijo is not only unfortunate and tragic but, scary to have been said by an individual who is seen as a youth, in whom the youths would have looked up to in such a dire strait. Most unfortunately, such statements came from the lips of a young man of his standing in government. It only proves beyond doubt that those in government have no concern for the hardship of the people they govern”. 

“The claim by the state government that it has sacked political appointees by the state to reduce cost of governance in the state is just a mere attempt to play to the gallery and deceive unsuspecting citizens. Sadly, nothing has changed in terms of the cost and expenditure on political appointees and other public office holders in the state. The ostentatious and flamboyant lifestyle of those close to the corridors of power in the Kaduna state government has not changed, not in one bit”.

“The recent insensitive sacking of civil servants in the state and the increasing cost of tuition fees in KASU, Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic and COE Kafanchan will most certainly squeeze the earnings of those fortunate civil servants who were not visited by the hammer of the governor. They may still have their jobs but they are not exempt from the biting pain of heavy taxes on their salaries and worsened by this wanton increase in tuition for their wards.  This action is callous and wicked, and does not in any way look like the actions of a people’s leader”.

While parents and students in the state are still trying to come to terms with the penury imposed on them, the Governor had the effrontery to tweet on his official Twitter Handle on the 3rd of June 2021, that there is: “No going back on increase in fees in KASU”.

“This tweet clearly tells one how wicked and insensitive the present government is”, he stated.

“People should simply make sure they understand their predicament and wish to live to see the next General Elections as even security is no longer a guarantee. Should we survive to see the 2023 Election, we must make sure we elect people with genuine policies which will not only ensure a stable economy, but that which will also ensure that security of jobs, lives and properties are guaranteed from Ward level to the Federal”.