By Anthony Arugba
As controversy continues to trail the school fees increment at the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, there are strong indications that the vice-chancellor, Prof Andy Egwunyenga, is unwilling to negotiate with leaders of the Students Union Government of the institution to reduce the fees.
Emerald News reports that last week Friday, the Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, spoke on the increased school fees controversy at the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, with a directive to the management of the university to liaise with the students’ union executive with a view to reducing the fees to acceptable levels.
However, investigations carried out by this online medium revealed that the management of the university headed by Prof. Andy Egwunyenga has not taken any step to implement the governor’s directive.
A source in the university told Emerald News that the governors directive is “a mere political statement that may not be carried out by the university authority.”
A top management source in the university, who pleaded anonymity said: “My brother, we are surprised that the VC could willfully flout the directive of the visitor and governor of the state by not calling a meeting of the management and the SUG a week after the governor made the statement.
“ And I can tell you that the governor cannot do anything against the vice-chancellor whom he knew was incompetent to run a university.”
Meanwhile, president of the DELSU student union povernment, Comrade Cyprian Odifili, has expressed regrets over the state government’s indifference to the students’ quest for reduction in school fees.
Odifili, who also disclosed that the SUG has not been contacted for any meeting, said it was an indication that whatever the governor said last Friday was merely political and a ploy to douse tension in the institution.
He said: “The government of Delta state should be true to what they said on paper. If they are really sincere in supporting our quest for reduction in the school fees, then they should make it effective, not through media or paper statement. We met with the speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori and the chairman house committee on education, Charles Emutulu, with a view to achieving a reduction in the school fees knowing full well that the whole increment came from the state government.”
He added: “They never invited us for a meeting since the governor made the statement neither was there any notice of meeting by the management.”
Efforts made to reach the management of the university proved abortive as calls to the VC’s line were not picked.
Similarly, two text messages were sent to his phone to seek his response, Egwunyenga did not respond to the messages hours before this story was published.
Below are the two text messages forwarded at different times to his phone number.
“We have earlier called to get your reaction to the directive of the visitor and governor of Delta state, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to DELSU management to hold a meeting with the SUG leadership with a view to reducing the school fees to an acceptable level. So far, one week has rolled by and no meeting has been held. What is the management’s position?”
After hours of waiting for his response, our editor forwarded another message to him thus:
“Good afternoon sir, this is the editor of Emerald News, an online newspaper in Delta. We called but it seems you are busy. We want to know your reaction to the directive of the governor with regards to holding a meeting with SUG leadership with a view to reducing DELSU fees to an affordable amount.
SUG told us no decision has so far been made.”
The increment in the DELSU fees has been a great cause of concern to students of the institution and their parents. There have been series of protests by students union leaders at the NANS level with a view to making the vice chancellor see reasons to reduce the fees.
All the meetings so far have not yielded any result. A meeting was also held with the commissioner for higher education, Patrick Muoboghare, all yielded no result.
Many students and union leaders are angry that Delta state university is now equivalent to private institutions where school fees are increased at astronomical levels, a development which could hinder many students from affording higher education in the state.
