A fresh crisis is brewing at the Lagos State University, Ojo as lecturers and students oppose what they call counterproductive policies, SEGUN OLUGBILE and SODIQ OYELEKE report
Since the last academic session, each new student of the Lagos State University, Ojo, has been paying between N240,000 and N345,000 per session. The tuition payable depends on a student’s course of study. Before the new fee regime, rate was N25,000 per student. But in spite of this new tuition, which many will consider huge, compared to what obtains in other public higher institutions, the state of physical and academic facilities is way far off what is expected in a university.
For one, a visitor to the institution will be welcome by floodwater-filled potholes on the less than two kilometres road that runs through the heart of the citadel. It is the only major road on the main campus of the 30-year-old institution. This makes driving through the campus hectic.
As many members of the academic community agree, the environment is everything but beautiful. Whenever it rains, car parks and some faculties, including the Faculty of Education and the Postgraduate School, would become water-logged. Some lecture rooms are dilapidated, while some laboratories, especially the one in the Botany and Fishery Department, are empty. Only some slab-like tables, chalkboards and ceiling fans in the room give you the impression that you are in a lab.
Investigations also reveal that LASU’s Internet facility has stopped working since about five months ago, a situation that has forced lecturers to rely on their own modems to browse the web for research purposes. Some lecturers add that the Internet facility was even so slow while it worked that they had to depend on their modems.
The new fee regime also seems to be dealing a death blow on the institution, as many candidates are no longer seeking admission to LASU. For instance, as at July 19, only about 1,100 candidates had registered for the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination of the university. This is despite the fact that the admission quota given to LASU by the National Universities Commission for the 2013/2014 academic session is about 5,000.
But if the students are afraid, their lecturers are not. Rather, many of them are angry. In fact, the lecturers are now at daggers-drawn with management over the state of affairs in the university, particularly their unmet demands. The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities in LASU, Dr. Adekunle Idris, who articulated the grouse of the lecturers against the university, says if something urgent is not done about the union’s requests, the institution should prepare for a long closure, even after the resolution of the ongoing national strike called by the national leadership of ASUU. The university and the Lagos State Government, Idris says, should use the opportunity of the ongoing strike to resolve all the issues raised by the local chapter.
“Otherwise, LASU lecturers will start a local version of the action and we will not call it off until they listen to us and meet our demands,” Idris says.
So, what are the issues? Idris says they are many. These, he notes, include unpaid salary arrears; unpaid earned allowance; planned programme rationalisation and its attendant job loss; inadequate physical and academic facilities; non-implementation of agreement, especially on retirement age for lecturers on professorial cadre; non-implementation of single-term tenure for principal officers; and planned deduction of tax in arrears.
However, the Acting Director, Centre for Information, Press and Public Relations of LASU, Dr. Sola Fosudo, has denied all these allegations. According to him, some of the demands – such as retirement age of lecturers, implementation of FG/ASUU agreement and single-term tenure for principal officers – would need the input of the state House of Assembly before they can be met.
“The Governing Council is looking at the issues and I believe that they would be resolved soon,” he says.
On inadequate facilities, Fosudo explains that the authorities have started the construction of some buildings, including the Senate Building, new library complex and some faculty buildings.
“Development cannot come in a day, but I can tell you that a lot of projects are ongoing on the campus. The construction of our Senate Building is on, that of the new library is on and so also are some faculty buildings. LASU is in the process of transformation and I think the management and the state government deserve commendation for the job that has been done since the new tuition was introduced last year,” he says.
But one of the issues giving the lecturers heartache, Idris says, is the decision of the university, in collaboration with the state government, to hike tuition from N25,000 to between N240,000 and N345,000 per session. This decision, the union argues, is counterproductive and contravenes one of the objectives of the founding fathers of LASU – to provide ready access to higher education for citizens of the state, regardless of social origin or income. The lecturers say it has greatly reduced student intake, thus making LASU the university of last choice among admission seekers.
“How many Lagosians can afford such a huge amount when the minimum wage is just N18,000? This is a public university set up by proactive and forward-looking leaders to give opportunities of higher education to the citizens of the state in particular, and Nigerians in general, regardless of social origin or income. We have told them to reduce this tuition; otherwise, the institution will bleed to death. If the state government wants to start a business university, they should start on a clean note and leave LASU for the poor masses. They should not turn LASU into a private university,” Idris says.
He adds that due to the low student intake, the management has decided to rationalise a number of programmes. This, according to him, will lead to job loss. For instance, he says, the management has decided to phase out degree programmes in Yoruba Language, Islamic Studies and Christian Religious Studies. Fosudo, who is also a seasoned actor, however, says the university is not planning to send any lecturer into the job market.
“The university is not planning to sack any lecturer, rather, what we are doing is to restructure our programmes to make them more effective and in tune with the need of the society. In fact, the Governing Council has just approved the establishment of a faculty of agriculture. The university will soon start the departments of film and performing arts, cultural studies and marine. Are they saying that a lecturer in Yoruba language won’t fit in into a cultural studies department? Nobody should be afraid of job loss. All that the management is doing is to make the university more relevant to the society,” he says.
Fosudo waves off the tuition hike question, saying the criticism is a belated issue.
Idris also alleges that though the university owes lecturers and non-academic members of staff 17 months salary arrears, it has failed to engage in dialogue with the union on how the debt would be paid. He explains that the state government agreed to pay 50 per cent of the arrears, while LASU should pay the remaining 50 per cent. The state government, he says, “has honored its own part of the deal while the management has offered to pay 20 per cent alongside our July salary, but they are not saying anything about how to pay the rest and we told them that we should meet on this. So far, they have refused to meet with us.”
On this, Fosudo, who describes himself as a member of ASUU, says the 20 per cent has been paid on Friday, together with the July salary, adding that the remaining would be paid soon. Idris confirms this but insists that the method adopted by the management is faulty.
“You cannot stop your employer from crediting your account, but what we are saying is that before part of the arrears were paid, we ought to have met to discuss how the remaining part would be paid. But they didn’t discuss anything with us. Anyway, our position is that the money must be paid this year and in two instalments,” Idris notes.
The lecturers also complain about the inadequate funding of departments. They say they cannnot fathom why each department is given what Idris calls a paltry N10,000 as running cost per month or why a dean of a faculty should be given N10,000 as fuel allowance for the same period. Before now, a dean collected N40, 000 for fuel per month.
Idris also expresses surprise at the way and manner lecturers on temporary appointments are being treated. According to him, rather than renew their appointments, management has been dillydallying.
“By the time these good hands leave, the workload will become unbearable for those left behind and the result will not be enviable,” he says.
He also argues that the lecturers are not happy with the way and manner the state government enforces any law made by the Federal Government when it favours it and how it foot-drags when such laws are not in its favour
“They are quick to implement the FG’s tax law, but when it comes to the implementation of agreement, they will remember that we are in a federal state. If they have adopted the same FG agreement at Lagos State Polytechnic, what is stopping them from doing same in LASU?” he asks.
‘I wish my mum was here to see this’
Meanwhile, several students have expressed disappointment over the state of facilities in the institution. In interviews with one of our correspondents, they urged the university authorities to upgrade the system to standards that obtain in other recognised institutions.
Ola, 300 level Law student
To the best of my knowledge, I see no reason why LASU should be charging that much. The facilities we have on ground do not match the amount the students are paying.
Segun, Jambite
I chose LASU because I felt all that was needed was to have much money to pay my school fees. I see it as a private school, but I am surprised that when I got here to prepare for my post-UTME, the school is not worth the amount being charged as tuition. I wish my mum was here to see this road and the other places.
Taiwo, 200, Education
I regret that I struggled to pay last year. The funniest thing is that the high fee started during my set. Look at how the road to my faculty is. Do they show that we are paying much and do you want me to commend the university for this?
Ayomikun, 400, Engineering
To me, the school is yet to fully meet the standard of the money being collected as tuition. Although the management has started building some structures, what we have on ground does not match the amount we are paying.
Tobiloba, 300 Level, Faculty of Art
I don’t want to say the school management cheated the students for paying that much. But what I know and I am sure of is that nothing has really changed except the fee. The lecturers still use the same method and the old facilities to teach us.
Pelumi, Social Sciences, 400 Level
For me, LASU still has a lot of work to do if it must justify the fee being charged. I am about to graduate and I know the kind of experience I have. I can even say that those of us that are outstanding students are so due to our personal effort and not because of what the university can offer.
