Lagos State Government claims detractors fuelled Lagos State University (LASU) crises.
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN)
The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said the problems in the Lagos State University were being fuelled by people who were bent on derailing the government’s plans to reposition the school.
LASU students had on Tuesday clashed with the police during a protest march to the Oshodi Market to reportedly educate the traders on why the fees should be reduced.
The clash caused tension and paralysed traffic on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
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But the Commissioner for Information and Strategy Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, said some individuals in the state, who were neither students nor lecturers, hijacked the genuine agitation of the students.
The commissioners explained that the government had reached an agreement with the stakeholders on the way out of the crises, wondering why they had continued to escalate despite assurances from the government.
Ibirogba said, “The government has put in place some measures to ensure that no student of the institution is left behind as a result of his or her inability to pay the fees. The government has doubled the students’ bursary and scholarship awards. The research budget for the university has even been increased.
“When we were at the stadium for May Day celebration, some people who were not students came up with the issue of LASU fees. We were able to know that those that did that, were not our students.”
Also explaining government’s position, Opeifa said the student union government and National Association of Nigeria Students had met with the governor.
Opeifa said, “The governor met with them twice and asked the students to give their position as to what they wanted the government to do; they sent in their reports.
“The lecturers wanted N50, 000 as the new fees, the students wanted N45, 000 and N65, 000. So there was a divergence of position and they could not agree on a common position on the 22 items raised.”
The commissioner said a committee raised to resolve the issue would reach a definite conclusion on June 9 after which government decision would be made public.
