Afis Odidere:
Your concern about fiat directives by Governors - for example to universities over school fees - has merit.
As an academic, I am also concerned about fiat directives to universities from executive Olympian heights. Universities should be given as much autonomy as they can possibly muster in all their sectors, including fees. Their Governing Councils (GC) should make most (if not all) of their decisions, which should then be announced either by the Chairman of that GC or the President/Vice-Chancellor of the university. However, when state universities as in Nigeria get more than 90% of their operating grants from the state government - and the Governor is automatically designated as the Visitor of the University - severe interference cannot be excluded from either the Governor and/or the Legislature, the former who prepares state budgets, and the latter who approves them.
In this particular instance of UNAD, there had been trouble on campus about the increased fees BEFORE the present Governor Fayemi got there. On his Inauguration Day (October 16), the Governor promised to REVIEW the fees. On October 21, when he met all the leaders of the Education sector in Ekiti State, he asked the Vice-Chancellors of the tertiary institutions to prepare for him the fee schedule of ALL the state institutions in the country. On November 30, he met with the VC of UNAD (among others) to go over that information, and based on the information, directed that all TUITION fees at UNAD should NOT EXCEED N50,000 per annum, leaving the actual fees up to the institution to be set. The actual official government announcement was made the following day; the institution (not the Governor) has since fixed the tuition fees to be flat of N50,000 for ALL students, and reflected it on its website www.unad.edu.ng. [There is NO Governing Council at UNAD at the moment, it having being dissolved along with other boards of the old administration.]
In short, a process of consultation and decision-making was in place in this instance to check a potentially explosive situation.
Finally, with some revisions, the information below on UNAD is what I recently presented to certain Ekitikete forums on this matter - that the world may know! :-)
And there you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
_____________________________________________________________
APPENDIX: Information on UNAD
University of Ado-Ekiti (www.unad.edu.ng)
Student Population:
Regular Programmes: 12,654
Part-Time Programmes: 10,000
Total: 22,654
Staff Population:
Academic: 613
Non-Academic: 1490
Total: 2103
Table of University of Ado-Ekiti School Fees
| S/N | Faculty | NUC Benchmark 2007 (unit cost of training a student) | 62.5% of NUC Benchmark | Upwardly-Revised Fees (Naira) Paid by Year 1 [100 Level] Only In 2009/2010 | No. of Students Paying upwardly Revised fees Naira | Old Fees (Naira) 200 Level | Newly- Mandated Fees (Naira) | |
| Ekiti Indigenes | Ekiti Non-Indigenes | No more than | ||||||
| 1 | Agricultural Sciences | 541,449.65 | 338,406.03 | 100,000 | 122 | 39,500 | 50,500 | 50,000 |
| 2 | Arts | 299,136.11 | 186,960.07 | 90,000 | 468 | 32,500 to 35,500 | 43,500 to 43,500 | 50,000 |
| 3 | Education | 319,689.78 | 199,806.11 | 90,000 | 486 | 34,500 to 38,500 | 45,500 to 49,500 | 50,000 |
| 4 | Engineering | 349,506.32 | 218,441.45 | 120,000 | 123 | 39,500 | 50,500 | 50,000 |
| 5 | Law | 288,859.34 | 180,537.09 | 120,000 | - | 34,500 | 45,500 | 50,000 |
| 6 | Management Science | 285,351.46 | 178,344.66 | 120,000 | 557 | 35,500 | 46,500 | 50,000 |
| 7 | Medicine | 715,322.21 | 447,076.38 | 200,000 | 28 | N/A | N/A | 50,000 |
| 8 | Science | 395,390.05 | 247,118.78 | 100,000 | 609 | 36,500 to 39,500 | 47,500 to 50,500 | 50,000 |
| 9 | Social Science | 258,496.01 | 161,560.01 | 90,000 | 466 | 32,500 to 35,500 | 45,500 to 46,500 | 50,000 |
|
| Total |
|
|
| 2,859 |
|
|
|
Source: Report: "State of UNAD" presented to Governor Fayemi, 21st October, 2010
Aluko Notes:
1. Only new admissions (Level 100 students) in 2009/2010 were required to pay the upwardly-revised fees.
2. 200 Level students and above paid roughly one-third to one-half of those revised fees, with 300 Level paying roughly N2000 less than 200 Level, and 400 Level paying N5,000 to N8,000 less than 300 Level, depending on the course in 2009/2010. Each student was supposed to MAINTAIN their fees until they graduated.
3. The Old Fees ranges in Arts, Education, Science and Social Science were due to some differentiations between the courses in those faculties. [Arts: General vs. Geography/French; Education: Science vs. Geography/French vs. Others; Science: Geology/Zoology/Plant Science vs. Others; Social Sciences: Geography/Psychology vs. Others.]
4. The differential fees between Ekiti indigenes and non-indigenes (on average a difference of N10,500 additional per non-indigene student) have been abolished due to its discriminatory nature and protest particularly by Ekiti indigene students. [Personally, I believe that these differential fees should remain, subject to reciprocity and fairness agreements between the states of origin of the various students and Ekiti State. For example, no non-indigene of Ekiti State should pay less than an Ekiti indigene in an Ekiti state-funded institution of similar level; and no non-indigene of EKiti State should pay less in an Ekiti state-funded institution of similar level than an Ekiti indigene would pay in that non-indigenous-state-funded institution. ]
5. There is still the question of whether this mandated N50,000 maximum should really be a flat fee (as has now been fixed), or should be indexed somehow on the course being taken.
6. As you can see, this new N50,000 figure is only one-fifteenth to one-fifth of NUC's benchmarks for 2007 for various courses. [I have included a column for 62.5% of NUC benchmark, to make room for my conjecture that Ekiti will not be less than half of NUC's benchmark or more than 75% of it.] Somehow in the future, greater cognizance will have to be taken of these benchmarks in an objective, transparent and predictable manner, as well as comparison with other state institutions with similar tight financial endowment like Ekiti State.
7. If you ask me, a yearly fee increase indexed somehow on inflation – as well as on ability to pay, with subsidies (for indigent students) and scholarships (for meritorious students) provided, in exchange for service in Ekiti State - should also be set.
8. The new fees affects only regular programme students, not pre-degree students, where there seems to be some raking in of money to raise IGR for UNAD. Part-time students nko?
And there you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
--- In NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com, afis <odidere2001@...> wrote:
>
> Brother Eric, what? Begrudging? Me?
> You totally lost me on this one, my good brother.Â
> Am I now supposed to tell everyone how much I am in sync with Fayemi's actions,
> so far?
> I just asked a Q, and Brother Yinka and you, Brother Eric, have given good
> answers.
>
> Brother Eric, my concern is that I don't want such directive to be overturned by
> unfriendly House, or God forbid, PDP should rig itself into power again. In
> 1979, Shagari was able to move back to the North all the military weapons that
> OBJ moved (by fiat)Â and equally distributed around the nation.
> I just don't feel comfortable with the "immediate effect" syndrome we inherited
> from 35yrs of mental abuse by the Army.
> I just don't feel confortable with directives without Legislative teeth.
> Â
> However, you and brother Yinka O. have cleared the air.
> thanks. Â
> Shikena.
> afis
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: "ericayoola@..." ericayoola@...
> To: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com; NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com; vincent
> modebelu vin_modebelu@...; igboevents@yahoogroups.com;
> igbo_forum@yahoogroups.com; ABIAUSA@yahoogroups.com;
> talknigeria@yahoogroups.com; Odua omoodua@yahoogroups.com;
> odidere2001@...
> Sent: Fri, December 3, 2010 3:07:36 AM
> Subject: Re: [NaijaPolitics] Re: ||NaijaObserver|| Re: Fayemi cuts varsity’s
> fees by N70,000/Ekiti
>
> Progressive parties like the ACN are noted for pursuing people oriented
> programmes and Fayemi is following the same pedigree.
>
> As per the process to follow in raising or lowering fees, the coalition
> government in the UK has raised student fees without the need for a new bill
> since the government can and did use statutory instruments that empowered the
> executive to set such fees. Fayemi's pronouncement is in order.
>
> Afis be happy for the people, don't begrudge them unnecessarily. When fees were
> raised through the roof, Afis did not question whether due process was followed,
> so why now that it was reduced? Not criticising, just an observation of a
> subjective reasoning.
>
> Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media
> ________________________________
>
> From: "yinka odumakin" yod2011@...
> Sender: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 07:12:53 +0000
> To: NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com; vincent modebeluvin_modebelu@...;
> igboevents@yahoogroups.com; igbo_forum@yahoogroups.com;
> ABIAUSA@yahoogroups.com; naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com;
> talknigeria@yahoogroups.com; Oduaomoodua@yahoogroups.com;
> odidere2001@...
> ReplyTo: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Re: ||NaijaObserver|| Re: Fayemi cuts varsity’s fees by
> N70,000/Ekiti
> Â
> Gen afis:
> Issues like fees in schools can be handled with administrative fias.It flows
> from the policy of the government in power.By pronouncements in their
> inauguration addresses all the UPN governors cancelled all fees in schools in
> 1979.
> All the "ota ilu" that are being removed one after the other did not make any
> law to impose atrocious fees on our people.
> Your concern for due process is sustained though.
> Yinka.
> "After going around and around and around the same old mountain,may be it's time
> to finish the job.May be it's time to claim the promise.I dont know about
> you,but im tired of going around and around and around the mountain"-Rapheal
> Warnock"-
> ________________________________
>
> From: afis odidere2001@...
> Sender: NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 15:52:01 -0800 (PST)
> To: vincent modebeluvin_modebelu@...; igboevents@yahoogroups.com;
> igbo_forum@yahoogroups.com; OBSERVE YOURSELFNaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com;
> ABIAUSA@yahoogroups.com; naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com;
> talknigeria@yahoogroups.com; Oduaomoodua@yahoogroups.com;
> odidere2001@...
> ReplyTo: NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: ||NaijaObserver|| Re: Fayemi cuts varsity’s fees by N70,000/E kiti
> Â
> Does the Governor have the power to just cut school fees without some
> legislative process backing it up?
> Not criticizing but an observation of a flawed directive.
> Â
> Shikena.
> afis
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: vincent modebelu vin_modebelu@...
> To: igboevents@yahoogroups.com; igbo_forum@yahoogroups.com; OBSERVE YOURSELF
> NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com; ABIAUSA@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thu, December 2, 2010 6:28:16 PM
> Subject: Fayemi cuts varsity’s fees by N70,000/Ekiti
>
>
> ......Dr. Ganiyu Owolabi, Fayemi directed that no student of UNAD should be
> charged more than N50,000 against the N120,000 being paid...........Ekiti SSG
>
>
> Fellows
> Something is going right here.
> these States that raid University school fees for fun should watch it.
>
> How do they expect some one in Ekiti to pay N120 000.00.........How much is the
> average salary?.
>
> Go Ekiti Go !!!!!
>
> vin......///
>
>
>
> Fayemi cuts varsity’s fees by N70,000
> Thursday, 02 December 2010 00:00
> From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau, Ado Ekiti) News - National
>
> STUDENTS and parents of the University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD) yesterday got relief
> from Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, as he ordered an immediate reduction in
> fees payable in the UNAD and other tertiary institutions of learning in the
> state.
>
>
> In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Ganiyu
> Owolabi, Fayemi directed that no student of UNAD should be charged more than
> N50,000 against the N120,000 being paid.
>
> Fayemi said the gesture was in fulfilment of the promise he made shortly after
> being sworn in to relieve parents and students of the burden of exorbitant
> school fees imposed by sacked Segun Oni administration.
>
> http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31071:fayemi-cuts-varsitys-fees-by-n70000&catid=1:national&Itemid=559
>
>
> Â
>
>
> vin......///
> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â yesterdays thoughts are today's news
> will keep blowing while relaxed.....they are listening
>
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