By Anthony Arugba
For the past one month, there have been agitations among stakeholders in Delta State over the increase of school fees by the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, under the headship of Prof. Andy Egwunyenga as thr Vice-Chancellor. He is a professor of parasitology.
While the increase cuts across departments and faculties, the fresh students are the worst hit as they will pay between N180,000 and N212,000, depending on the course of study. Professional courses such as medicine and surgery, nursing, engineering, pharmacy, and law, attract higher fees.
One of the reasons why the astronomical increase of the fees has raised much criticism and condemnation from stakeholders is because the middle income class and the very poor have their children and wards in DELSU.
While occasional increase of school fees could be allowed to reflect economic realities of the times, it’s unacceptable to implement over 100 per cent increase in a single year. Such act is satanic, thoughtless, mindless and sheer wickedness.
It’s ridiculous to observe that the VC premised the increment on the unsubstantiated claim that DELSU’s school fees is the cheapest among state universities in the country. It’s indeed difficult to know how he managed to arrive at that. If one may ask, how many state universities pay over N200,000 as school fees in Nigeria? Where did DELSU management get the figure that DELSU is the cheapest state university in Nigeria? Does DELSU exist in isolation?
It is expected of a person who goes by the title of professor in the sciences to be grounded in research. That the Vice-Chancellor didn’t do the necessary fact-finding portrays him as seemingly hollow in research; otherwise, a supposed parasitologist that prides himself as an eminent scholar would not have jumped to hasty conclusion without facts.
A comparative analysis of the school fees paid in the universities in the Niger Delta region is as follows: Rivers State University N70,000 indigene), non indigene N120,000; University of Cross River N105,000 (indigene) while non-indigene N128, 000; Niger Delta University, Amasoma, Bayelsa 60,000 (other faculties), N80,000 (Basic Medical Sciences), N110,000 (Law) across board; Akwa-Ibom N53,000 (indigenes) while non-indigenes N73,000 and Ambrose Ali University, Edo State, (focal point of public education) Medical students N75,000 while others pay N60,000 across board and these fees have been stable, unlike DELSU where school fees has been increased two consecutive times under the current vice-chancellor.
The only public university that pays fees as high as those obtainable in private universities is Edo University, Iyamoh. And, of course, it could be justified because of the pattern of establishment was modeled as a public private initiative, and from all indications, much of the institution’s recurrent expenditure is derived from the fees paid by students. Aside Iyamoh, there is no other state university where students pay high as much as 250,000 for school fees, especially in the South-South.
Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, was established in 1992 to cater exclusively for the educational needs of youngsters who, annually on the basis of the extant catchment area and quota system, are largely denied admission into federal institutions. It was the same factor that inspired the then Governor of defunct Bendel State, Prof. Ambrose Alli of blessed memory in establishing the then Bendel State University, which was later named after him as a fitting tribute to his fecund vision.
With his obsession with yearly fees increase, it’s obvious the VC doesn’t mean well for DELSU. If stakeholders keep mute on this issue, he will likely effect additional N100, 000 increase next November when a new session begins.
Assuming the VC’s agenda for increment is driven by the need to enhance the growth of the university by way of enhancing the facilities and structures it would be understandable. However, the more the fees are increased the more facilities have continued to deteriorate in the university, especially in the last two and a half years that he mounted the saddle.
To a large extent, the vice-chancellor’s habitual increase of fees emanates from his lack of managerial competence to run a university. Prior to his appointment he never held a tangible position in the university. Agreed that he had served as Rector of Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, but the issue is whether he did well during his four-year tenure. If those that are in doubt should go and find out about his stint as Rector from 2007-2011, they will be told in clear terms that his tenure was a disaster, almost to a pestilential degree in the life of that institution.
One thing is clear: if he wasn’t from the same senatorial district with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, he would have remained a mere professor without an enviable appointment till his retirement.
Thus, the need to review his appointment as VC of our treasured DELSU is imperative. If the governor so loves him he can give him any other position such as deputy commissioner for higher education or Director- General of Education, but he shouldn’t be left in DELSU. The longer he stays as VC, the steeper the decline of DELSU.
There was initial misgiving about his competence and capacity, but the critical stakeholders were persuaded to give him the benefit of a doubt, being the first person from Delta North to hold the position. Yet, the discerning among Deltans knew that the recourse to ethnic identity as a criterion for the appointment of vice-chancellorship will not do DELSU or any other state university any good. Before his appointment, DELSU had enjoyed quietude in terms of peaceful and smooth academic calendar nurtured by former Vice-Chancellors, namely Professors Igun, Enaohwo, Arubayi and Peretomode as former Vice-Chancellors and nobody questioned their competence as each of them held recognisable positions either as Deans of faculties, Provosts of Anwai and Oleh Campuses or served as Deputy Vice-Chancellors, unlike the current VC who never held any reputable position in DELSU, apart from his leadership of ASUU about two decades ago.
It’s a matter of concern that the Vice-Chancellor has established a notoriety for increasing school fees at the beginning of a new session. This obsession of sort emanates from his erroneous perception of school fees as the institution’s sole revenue earner apart from government subvention for salary payment. But in the 21st century, most varsities are embarking on research to increase their profiles and possibly earn from it by way of having patents for groundbreaking research. The question is, what initiative has the VC created all his life? He lacks the minutest creative stimulus. Even as a professor of parasitology he has never created any idea that a company could leverage on to establish even a local industry.
With the annual increase of school fees, one wonders what would become of DELSU at the end of his tenure in December 2024. It would likely bring about a predictable trajectory of tragic import for the provision of tertiary education to Deltans.
It’s therefore imperative for Deltans to rise up in unison to stop this oppressive and mindless hike. Delta State is relatively rich viz-a-viz other states as it collects the highest revenue in terms of derivation in addition to federal allocation. In 2021 alone, Delta State collected N142 billion. Regrettably, not even five per cent of that money was spent in enhancing the infrastructure of the state university.
Stakeholders who are concerned about this unconscionable increase should sustain opposition to it and work together to ensure its reversal as soon as possible. If we allow this increase to remain, it will affect students enrollment in the university thereby making education at DELSU unattractive.
