NANS ESUT INTERVENTION; THE FACTS AND RESULTS SO FAR

As a follow up to our last Official statement on the Issue of ESUT and her introduction of the controversial  Development levy, I am urged to inform Esut students and the general public that we have been up on our feet in ensuring that the mandate reposed on us to be the vanguard of Nigerian students is upheld. As part of our consultation process, We have painstakingly engaged different stakeholders and security agencies on the development and the growing dissatisfaction it is causing among students which if left unchecked might degenerate into a students unrest. We also yesterday 6th December had an extensive closed door meeting with the management of ESUT.

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OUR FINDINGS

1. We discovered that the growing dissatisfaction among ESUT students is a product of a number of issues which includes;
a. The recent increase/ imposition of the development levy
b. The late fee payment penalty of N10,000 which is meant to take effect from Monday 9th of December
c. The lingering delay in conduction of students union elections.

2. The University management explained that the cost of running the university is hugely over bearing and if something is not done to raise money internally, the university might soon grind to a halt. This is because the university expenses outweighs government subventions

3. That the imposition/increase in development levy is a decision made by the governing council of the university in order to ensure effective running of the institution.

a. That the said development levy is a one time mandatory fee paid by only by first year students (freshers) on the period of enrollment.

b. That the development levy in ESUT has been in existence and paid only by first year students of some select courses.

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 OUR RESULTS AND RESOLUTIONS

1. We appealed to the management of ESUT that the late payment additional fee of N10, 000 be shifted to next year to allow students ample time to raise their school fees. Following management decision, the late fee payment addition of N10, 000 will now take effect from *10th January 2020*

2. Furthermore following our engagements, the management has assured that proactive plans for a students union elections would commence as soon as possible. We shall also be at the background to ensure that such assurance translate into visible actions

3. NANS is under a moral obligation to be the voice of the voiceless students and in as much as we understand that the cost of running a university is huge, we are also saddled with the awareness that things are not financially rosy for a lot of parents. So we have laced our obligation to speak for students with the acknowledgement that the university is in dire need of money, in this light, we have therefore appealed to the university management to urgently liase with the governing council of the university to either reverse the fee or slash it to a more payable amount.

4. The management going forward revealed that the governing council of the university  will be meeting on *thursday 12th December* and 
they have assured the organisation that our noble request will be tabled and well attended to.


We are urging every ESUT student and the general public to continue to stand with us. By this update, every plan to agitate through a demonstration on this matter should be dismantled as acceptable results are already underway.

Be rest assured of our unflinching commitment to the course of students emancipation.
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Comrade Darlington Ugwuegbe
Deputy Coordinator NANS Zone B