Education
Fee increment: IMT Enugu reacts to protests, says students distorted figures
The management of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu has reacted to a viral video where students of the institution where protesting against increase in fees.
In a press release on Monday by Barr. Mark Akunna Eze, the school said the protesting students gave false information and distorted figures in order to bring
the school into disrepute.
The release reads: ‘The attention of Management of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu has been drawn to the protest by the in-coming students on Friday the 13th of May, 2022 and the subsequent video circulating on the internet where these students gave false information and distorted figures on the new regime of charges in the Institute thereby putting the Institute in disrepute.
“It is against this background that the Management has decided to react and state as follows;That the school fees used to be ₦40, 000.00 per student, per session of 12 calendar months.That the Institute had no option than to increase the fees as it had done because of the increasing huge financial burden before it.
“That the increment was a decision jointly taken by all stakeholders in the Institute including the students and staff unions and the increment is applicable only to newly admitted students.That increment became necessary for the Institute to be able to meet the increasing financial responsibilities that would further lead to its progress.
“That the Institute is currently the second-best state polytechnic in Nigeria queuing behind Polytechnic Ibadan as rated by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in its latest ranking of all State Polytechnics in Nigerian.
“That the State government as the Proprietor of the Institute cannot all alone raise enough funds to sustain let alone improve the quality of services being delivered by the Institute that has earned it the second-best State Polytechnic in Nigeria.
“That the Institute had maintained the old fees for many years and would not be able to cope again on its mandate of providing quality teaching and learning environment and by extension quality education to our students should it retain the old fees.
“That because of the restriction placed by JAMB, the Institute can only admit a limited number of students. Amongst others, this was the major reason why the Governing Council reviewed the fees payable to ₦80, 000.00 and later to ₦75, 000.00 after listening to the appeals made by both the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Institute’s Student Union Government (SUG).
“That the new school fees of ₦75, 000.00 for the in-coming students only, had already been accepted by both NANS and SUG.That the current fees as approved by the Council and Management in consultation with the Student Union leaders is seventy-five thousand naira (₦75, 000.00) only as against two hundred thousand naira (₦200, 000.00) claimed by the students.
“That the increment is inevitable and therefore should be seen as a necessary step to further consolidate the quality of education being offered by the Institute.That new school fee of ₦75, 000.00 is offer to the in-coming students which they either accept and be admitted into the Institute or reject and look for admission elsewhere. That hostels were renovated under Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) and the Governing Council attempted to make hostel accommodation compulsory to enable the school break even.
“That when the in-coming students started the protest, the Rector, Prof. Austin Uche Nweze (PhD) BOLDLY intercepted the protesting students and announced to the admiration of many of the students, that the hostel fees and hence the hostel accommodation has become OPTIONAL. That many of the protesting students went back to school after listening to the Rector while a few of them with some miscreants still made their way to the Government House.
“That His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Dr. Lawrence Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi promptly scheduled a meeting with the students and the Rector for 2pm the same day, Friday, May 13, 2022.That at the said meeting which was presided over by the Governor himself with the Deputy Governor, Her Excellency, Hon. Cecilia Ezeilo, all the issues were amicably resolved.
“That the success recorded in terms of building and renovating the infrastructures in the Institute wouldn’t have been possible without the intervention of the state government and other stake holders like TETFUND. That we salute the courage of his Excellency the Governor for his prompt attention and for letting this matter be laid to rest.That we use this opportunity to thank our amiable Governor and his Deputy for their prompt intervention and for resolving the issues amicably.”
Education
Governor Mbah Increases Monthly Subvention to ESUT by N115m, Appeals to ASUU to Suspend Strike
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has approved an additional N115 million monthly subvention for the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), as part of efforts to address concerns surrounding the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ESUT chapter.
The additional funding will raise the state government’s monthly subvention to ESUT from the current N161 million to N276 million, representing a cumulative increase of N140 million since February 2026.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, who made this known in a statement on Monday, said the additional funding underscored the administration’s commitment to strengthening ESUT’s capacity to meet its financial obligations, particularly its responsibility to staff and the continued delivery of quality academic services.
“Governor Mbah has demonstrated once again that his administration places the welfare of workers and the uninterrupted education of our young people at the heart of its priorities. This additional N115 million monthly intervention is a substantial commitment of public resources aimed at strengthening ESUT and ensuring that the institution can meet its obligations to its staff and students,” Prof. Onyia said.
He explained that prior to February 2026, the state government was providing N136 million monthly to ESUT. However, beginning in February, the government commenced an additional monthly intervention of N25 million specifically for the ESUT College of Medicine (ESUCOM) to support the payment of 120 additional staff, bringing the total monthly government support to the university to N161 million.
Prof. Onyia said the latest approval of an additional N115 million would raise the state government’s total monthly subvention to ESUT to N276 million.
He further said the increase would help ESUT towards achieving the salary agreement reached between ASUU and the Federal Government.
He appealed to ASUU members at ESUT to reciprocate the government’s intervention by suspending the industrial action and resuming academic activities, in the interest of students whose academic progress may be disrupted by the strike.
“We appeal to ASUU-ESUT to reciprocate this gesture by resuming academic activities, while all outstanding issues are addressed through constructive dialogue. Our students should not be made to bear the consequences of disagreements that can be resolved amicably,” the SSG said.
The SSG reaffirmed Governor Mbah’s commitment to the welfare of workers and the sustained development of ESUT, saying the substantial increase in government funding demonstrated the priority the administration places on education and the uninterrupted academic calendar.
He urged all stakeholders, including the university management and ASUU, to embrace dialogue and work collaboratively towards resolving the outstanding issues, stressing that the ultimate objective should be to ensure that ESUT students receive uninterrupted and quality education.
He further assured the university community that the Mbah administration would continue to support ESUT within available resources, while taking necessary steps to strengthen the institution and position it to fulfil its mandate as a leading university of science and technology.
United Nigeria Airlines has pledged N20 million to sponsor the prestigious annual Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction, administered by the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) for the next 10 years.
The sponsorship deal was disclosed today by the executive chairman of the airline, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, following a discussion with the ANA president, Dr. Usman Akanbi.
Under the arrangement, the airline will provide N2 million every year for the next 10 years to ANA, bringing the total sponsorship to N20 million, a commitment the association says would guarantee the continuation of the prize regardless of the change in the state government.
The yearly award which was initiated by the Anambra State government in 2021 in conjunction with the ANA leadership, has faced financial constraints in the last three years following the failure of the present state administration to continue its sponsorship.
Though the Governor Willie Obiano administration began the sponsorship with one million naira, the Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration that succeeded it in 2022 continued the sponsorship and agreed to ANA’s request to double it in consideration of inflation and administrative costs like payments to judges.
However, after two years, the organisers say the state government appears to have lost interest in continuing with the sponsorship despite several letters reminding it of its promise.
The apparent lack of commitment caused United Nigeria Airlines to intervenee and rescue the prize from uncertainty.
Announcing the airline’s decision to step in, Dr. Akanbi quoted Prof Okonkwo as saying: “Prof Achebe is too precious in our consciousness for the award to continue to suffer the current epileptic funding.”
Speaking on why the airline made the decision to take over the sponsorship, Prof. Okonkwo said that Achebe’s legacy demands this level of commitment.
“Very few men and women of letters and culture in recent history”, he stated, “have brought as much attention and honour to the black race and the African world as the great Achebe through his writings, lectures, speeches, intellectual activism, ethical conduct, and intermittent interventions in political affairs which has made him an authentic conscience of the Nigerian people.
Reacting to the sponsorship, the ANA president, who is a senior academic at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State said: “We are immensely grateful to Prof. Okonkwo and his airline for their patriotic intervention. Prof was not just a world-class raconteur and essayist, but also the ANA founder who started our association in 1981 at the University of Nigeria at Nsukka and accepted to serve as its first president, thus giving it the credibility and platform that has made the association highly respected beyond Nigeria’s shores.”
Akanbi also highlighted Okonkwo’s consistent record of honouring Achebe, stating that Prof. Okonkwo has for some been hard to preserve the late author’s legacy.
For instance, he was solely responsible for financing the erection of a statue of the late Prof. Achebe which was unveiled in July by Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State at the Ugwunwasike Roundabout in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, Achebe’s own hometown.
The prize sponsorship is the latest effort made by Prof. Okonkwo and United Nigeria Airlines to cement Achebe’s legacy.
In June, one of the two Boeing 737-800NG aircraft purchased by United Nigeria Airlines was named after the late author, while the other was named after His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha.
Naming these two aircraft after both men is in line with Prof. Okonkwo’s determination to uphold their values.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to overhaul the welfare system of university lecturers and other academic and non-teaching staff in the state if elected governor in 2027.
Odii made the commitment when a delegation of university lecturers from Ebonyi State visited him at his Banana Island residence to discuss areas of possible cooperation and synergy ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The PDP candidate said his administration would introduce a comprehensive welfare scheme for staff of Ebonyi State University (EBSU) and workers in the state’s newly established tertiary institutions, including the Aeronautic University in Onueke and the ICT University in Oferekpe.
He said the welfare of university workers must be treated as a priority because of their crucial role in producing the skilled manpower needed for the development of the state.
Odii described as “embarrassing and condemnable” a situation where lecturers struggle to afford decent accommodation, maintain reliable means of transportation or pay their children’s school fees, including in some cases where the children attend institutions where their parents teach.
He expressed particular concern over the remuneration of university professors, arguing that a professor earning less than the equivalent of $500 monthly should be considered an emergency requiring urgent government intervention.
The PDP candidate promised that the welfare challenges confronting lecturers and other workers in the tertiary education sector would receive attention within the first six months of his administration if elected.
He said his government would review the remuneration and welfare packages of university workers and introduce measures to make academic careers more attractive, while creating an environment that would enable lecturers and other university staff to perform their duties effectively.
Odii stressed that improving the education sector was central to his vision for Ebonyi State, adding that universities could only produce the quality manpower required for sustainable development when their workers were adequately motivated and supported.
Students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Anambra State, were allegedly prevented from writing their examinations after they failed to purchase textbooks reportedly authored or recommended by some of their lecturers.
According to complaints received from affected students, the students had paid their required school fees and were duly expected to participate in the examinations. However, they were allegedly turned away from the examination hall because they had not purchased the textbooks.
The students expressed frustration over what they described as an unfair practice, questioning why payment of school fees and fulfilment of other academic requirements would not be sufficient to qualify them to sit for their examinations.
One of the students who spoke on the matter alleged that the affected students were asked to leave the examination venue after it was discovered that they had not bought the textbooks.
The students have appealed to the university authorities to investigate the allegation and ensure that no student is denied access to an examination on the basis of failure to purchase a lecturer’s textbook.
For fear of further victimisation, this report will not disclose the department and names of the lecturers involved.
The development has sparked concerns about academic practices and the welfare of students, with calls for university management to clarify whether lecturers are permitted to make the purchase of their textbooks a condition for students to participate in examinations.
The allegation could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report. The university authorities are yet to publicly comment on the matter.
Students and parents are expected to watch closely for the university’s response to the allegation, particularly given the potential implications for students’ academic progression.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has banned, with immediate effect, all forms of orchestration, celebration and “signing-off” activities by final-year students in connection with their final examinations on all university campuses and premises.
In a statement issued by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, the university said the decision was prompted by recurring incidents of chaos, violence, vandalism and disruption of academic and administrative activities associated with such events.
“Management is also concerned about the infiltration of unauthorised persons onto campus during these activities, which poses a serious threat to the safety and security of students, staff and university property.
“In fulfilment of its statutory obligation to maintain order, protect lives and safeguard property, Management considers such activities unacceptable and a breach of University regulations,” the statement said.
The university spokesman warned that any student found involved in organising or participating in any form of “signing-off” or related activities would face severe disciplinary sanctions, including rustication and withdrawal from the university, in accordance with the Students’ Handbook.
The statement also warned non-students and outsiders against entering the university premises in connection with the banned activities.
“Any person who is not a bona fide student or staff of the University found on University premises in connection with such activities shall be arrested and prosecuted for breach of peace, trespass and disorderly conduct,” it stated.
The Registrar of the university, Dr Chinenye Gloria Okeke, had earlier communicated the directive to the university community through an internal memo, urging students to remain focused on their academic responsibilities.
She also called on staff, students and members of the public to report any planned or ongoing misconduct to the Chief Safety Officer, Dean of Student Affairs or the nearest university authority for immediate action.
The university, under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bond Ugochukwu Stanley Anyaehie, said it remained committed to providing a safe, peaceful and conducive environment for teaching, learning and research.
Management, it added, would not tolerate any action capable of undermining the safety, order and academic environment of the institution.
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