President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr. Chidi Ilogebe, has urged Federal and States Governments to waive school fees in tertiary institutions as a palliative to students.
Ilogebe made the request while speaking with Newsmen on national issues affecting Nigerian students in Enugu on Friday.
“It is our earnest desire that students in Nigeria are made comfortable while studying.
“It is no news that the federal and some state governments have continuously doled out palliatives/grants to help resuscitate small and medium businesses for youths and women.
“It is on record that students were not considered in any of these arrangements.
“I, therefore, call on government at all levels to waive this 2019/2020 session’s school fees as COVID-19 educational support to Nigerian students,’’ he said.
Ilogebe also called on house owners around campuses to give rent/accommodation rebate to all students.
“This will serve as a morale booster to the students and help strengthen student-community relationships.’’
On the ASUU/NASU strike, the students’ leader urged the federal government to urgently resolve the issues so that students can go back to classes.
He added that the gains of the resolution could not be overemphasized.
“NANS also calls on the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 to quicken the process of releasing the comprehensive protocols that will allow Nigerian tertiary institutions to reopen for lectures.
“We shall within the next few days before transiting to a new team that will carry on from where we stopped vigorously engage the government with a view to finding lasting solutions to these issues,’’ he said.
On students’ alleged involvement in #EndSARS protests, Ilogebe said that the government and ASUU/NASU should settle their differences to make students go back to their classes.
“The government desires that the protests be depopulated, the best way is to reopen our campuses.
“This does not mean that we condemn the motive of the protest.
“The cases of police brutality generally got out of hand and were worthy of being protested against.
“However, we believe it will be better for Nigeria that the youths are in classrooms breaking new grounds than being on the streets protesting,’’ Ilogebe said.
NAN