Tuition hike: Ikpeazu voids ABSU management, orders VC to revert to old fee

The Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has voided the decision of the management of Abia State University, led by Prof. Maxwell Ogbulu, to increase the tuition fee of the school by over 350 per cent.

In a viral video, the Invoice given some fresh students showed that students in some departments had their fees increased from N122,000 to N500,000.

However, Ikpeazu who is the Visitor to ABSU, directed the school management to immediately cancel the increase in tuition fees announced on Monday.

Ikpeazu, through his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Onyebuchi Ememanka, said the increase “which is by over 350% is unacceptable to the state government, especially given the current economic realities in the country.”

“The governor, while acknowledging that it is becoming increasingly challenging for the university to play its role under the current fiscal regime, added that the university management must understand clearly that it must ensure that children of the poor in the state are given the opportunity to access tertiary education,” Ememanka said.

Ikpeazu further directed the University Management to engage with all relevant stakeholders in the university community and have robust discussions before contemplating any geometric hike in school fees.

He assured the people that the state government would continue to support the institution with subventions and equally assured all students, parents and guardians of the university that their interests would consistently be protected by the state government.