The recent increase on the graduation fees for rivers state university by the governing council of the university has continued to elicit reactions form residents
A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has joined in accusing the management of Rivers State University (RSU) and the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) of extorting students through arbitrary and inflated charges
The spokesperson of APC in the state Darlington Nwauju in an interview with our correspondent berated the management of Rivers state university for allegedly hiking the fees by 115.5% without recourse to the current economic realties describing the move as exploitative and unjustifiable.
He called on the university management to immediately withdraw such fee hike to enable the student to focus on acquiring education rather than looking for how to meet up with regime change fees
The spokesperson of APC in the state Darlington Nwauju also appealed to the state governor Sim Fubara who is a visitor to the university to look into the said astronomical increases in fees at both the state university and the Ignatius Ajuri university of education who also recently increased schools fees during the emergency rule in the state with a view to correcting the abnormal hike
They also claimed that IAUE has been imposing unauthorized levies on students, allegedly taking advantage of the emergency rule period to enforce illegal charges.
He called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to immediately investigate the financial operations of both institutions and ensure accountability from those in charge. It also appealed to the Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Education to take urgent steps to protect students and parents from further financial pressure.
Nwauju urged authorities to ensure that public educational institutions do not become platforms for financial exploitation.