By ‘Damilare Ajiboye
The Dean of Students, Prof. A. Abiona has again warned student leaders across all departments, faculties and halls of residence, to desist from raising the basic dues of students beyond N2500.
Speaking at a meeting held with the students’ leaders at the Students Representatives Council chamber on June 10, 2021, Abiona registered his displeasure at how presidents of departments, faculties and hall chairpersons have been charging more than N2500 as basic dues, contrary to the schools’ regulations. He emphasized the need that only basic dues should be made compulsory for both fresh students and stalites.
All other dues are not compulsory, no matter what. Only basic dues of 2500 naira should be made compulsory for students to pay.
Abiona, who also warned the student leaders that are still going against the school rule, said that when caught, they would be punished;
Your accounts will be audited at the end of your tenure, and anyone caught will face the music.
When called upon to comment, the Students Union president, Akeju Olusegun, also hit hard on the act of students leaders that are charging more than N2500 naira basic dues or making other items other than basic dues compulsory.
He pointed out that his administration has been fighting this action for a long time, and although some progress has been made, there are still more grounds to cover. He used the opportunity to admonish students’ leaders to be wary of hall managements who would want to go through them to charge extraneous fees.
“What we also found out is that different hall managements go through student leaders to charge extraneous fees. Please, don’t allow this to happen. Anybody that wants to charge extra fees should do it on their own. Let them make it clear that they are charging the fees themselves. Don’t let them use you.”
Akeju promised that if hall management charged extraneous fees, his administration would take it up with them. He also emphasized fees for students’ file and Hall ID Card, stating that no one should be made to pay for them.
“No hall should charge for an ID Card. We have all paid for a general ID Card to the school. While we know that the school will delay producing these ID Cards, we should not now charge another fee for them again under the guise of hall ID Cards. That would amount to double payment. Please be aware of this.”
On his part, Abiona commended Akeju for raising the issue of the extra charges by the hall management. As the Dean of students, he had had a meeting with the hall management already, and there cannot be any charges for an ID card.
“The hall cannot charge a kobo for an ID Card. There’s been a meeting with the hall management on this.” Abiona emphasized. He stressed further his earlier remark that students leaders that had charged more than 2500 naira before the meeting and had made all other money like shirts, dinner and freshers’ welcome compulsory would have to refund it.
He said: “They will have to refund it. If they don’t, let us know. They must refund the money for freshers’ welcome that has been made compulsory and collected before now.”
Not forgetting to stress his administration’s support to the student leaders across board, Akeju said that all that his administration had been doing had been in support of the students. He said there had once been a proposal to scrap basic dues for this session but that he and his vice-president fought that because they knew student leaders would need money to run their administration.
“In fact, Prof Aina was saying that there should not be basic dues at all for this session. It was myself and the vice president that stood up to say no because we know you will need money to run your administration, and we know how difficult it is to get money in this economy”.
The deputy Dean of Students, Dr Demola Lewis, who was also at the meeting, condemned the cunny act of student leaders that total all the dues without expressly specifying which one was compulsory and which was optional. He said that this act sends a message, especially to the fresh students, that all the fees are compulsory.
He admonished students’ leaders to, henceforth, list all the dues applicable and make only the basic dues compulsory, while other dues would have in front of them the word OPTIONAL in bracket. He said: “if students want to pay for the optional ones they can pay, but don’t make it compulsory.” He stressed further that all the fees were getting too much, and that when parents hear how much their wards are to pay, they immediately think the university is the one charging all the extraneous fees.
“As far as parents are concerned, it is UI that is charging them these fees. They don’t know that you are the one. So, let it stop. It is not compulsory you throw a big party, and overcharge students. What matters is the quality.”
Bringing the meeting to a close, Prof. Abiona stated that if the students’ leaders were not satisfied with the fixed fee of 2500 naira, they should go through the due process and change it.
“If you want to change the basic dues of 2500 naira, you will have to go through the due process. First, have a meeting, discuss it among yourselves and have it approved. Once you have done this, you can then bring it to me, and I would pass it to the Senate for approval. Only after this can you charge above 2500 naira; otherwise, you will be going against the school rule.”
