LASPOTECH Students Decry Sudden Hike in Certificate Fee

LASUSTECH Third Gate Photo: Moshood Hameedat

• Fee skyrockets from #5000 to #30,000 

• Management gives forex increase for reason

• “Outrageous and inconsiderate” Students react

• “We are your fathers. We are not wicked” PRO clears air around controversies

Safiu Kehinde, Adebayo Nurudeen, Ibrahim Habeeb, & Bisiryu Hassan

Lagos State Polytechnic’s students have decried the sudden 500 percent hike in price of the institution’s certificate fee by the school management as they call on the state government’s intervention over the increment.

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The Polytechnic’s Governing Council had, in a memo circulated earlier last week, announced the change in certificate fee which skyrocketed from 5000 Naira to 30,000 Naira.

As contained in the memo, the Governing Council had, in April, held meeting over a proposed upward review of students’ ancillary fees which subjected the certificate fee to change alongside others.

The approval of the increment, however, did not augur well for the students as they condemned the sudden hike.

Reacting to the development, Lagos State Polytechnic’s Students Union Government frowned against the increment, stressing that they are not in support of the management’s decision.

The Union had, in a statement issued yesterday, made their stand known to the management while urging the students to stay calm over the situation.

The statement read in part; “Subsequent to the Memo released on 23rd May, 2023 about UPWARD REVIEW OF STUDENTS ANCILLARY FEE by the Polytechnic governing council, the Student Union government of the polytechnic believe that Obtaining certificate is not just a privilege but right every students must not be deprived of and as such, we must not be cut-short of that by a policy that is not only sudden but too extreme

“As we urge our fellow students to observe calmness till we meet with the Management to strike a balance , we also use this medium to emphatically state our position; that we are not in any support of this and we will never accept such for no/any reason.”

“..outrageous and inconsiderate”- Students Reacts

Speaking with Akanni Rahmotallah, a final year Marketing student, she said the school is not considerate and pleaded for the reduction in the price.

"I am the one sponsoring myself to school, I am currently looking for means to pay the tuition fee, the management should please reduce the money”

Similarly, another final year Business Administration student who pleaded anonymity, condemned the development while stressing that the school management are inconsiderate of the students welfarism.

“It is so heartbreaking and rather inconsiderate towards the welfare of the students. Most of us sponsor ourselves to school and it has not been very easy.

“How do an administration sat down and increase certificate fee without prior notice and want an implementation straight away. It shows that the welfare of the students whom they nurture is not at their heart. Things are very difficult economically already, why do the school has to make life miserable for students. We are not happy with this development at all.” She said

Surprisingly, the increment is not only applicable to the current final year students but also to the Polytechnic’s fresh graduate who are yet to begin their clearance.

There is also ongoing unrest around the possibility of those who have completed their clearance and paid the initial 5000 Naira Certificate fee to balance up an 25,000 Naira outstanding payment before their certificate can be issued to them when ready.

While labelling the increment as “outrageous”, former Speaker of the Students Union Government, Rt. Hon. Asekun Elijah, faulted the school management for not notifying the graduating students prior to the commencement of the clearance exercise.

“What saddens the heart most is the fact that there was no proper notification to the students and even the graduating students who have done their clearance. There was no proper announcement stating this. It is so harsh and unbearable moving such kind of fee from 5000 Naira to 30,000 Naira in this harsh economy. To be candid, this is outrageous. It is an act that is nothing to write home about.” He said.

Asekun, however, pleaded with Lagos State Government to intervene, stressing that the increased fee is unaffordable to the students.

“We are pleading to the state government to please come to our rescue. This is more or less like a scam. We appeal to the government for quick intervention before this situation gets out of hand. And to the management of LASUSTECH, please we are appealing to you. We cannot afford to pay a sum of 30,000 Naira for a certificate.” He added.

In the same vein, the Management and Business Administration Student Association’s (MABUSSA) former President, Balogun Samson, described the increment by the school management as a legal and official way of extorting students to sustain their expenses.

“How can management wake up in a day and decided that the next move for them to add income is that they should increase certificate of 5000 Naira to 30,000 Naira? Who does that? It is a legal way and official way of extorting students.

“They should have told us before now when we were in school. They should have told us that we are going to increase this fee for so and so reason. My own view is that the cost is so outrageous.” He said

Former Speaker of the National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS), ISSA Quazim, was, however, skeptical of the increment decision emanating from the LASPOTECH’s management as he claimed that the Polytechnic’s Rector can not come up with such decision.

“Firstly, I don’t really know where the decision is coming from either the LASPOTECH management or LASUSTECH management.

“If it was LASUSTECH decision, definitely they also remove subsidy from our certificate money because I know the polytechnic management understand the leadership of our leader, father and mentor, the person of Dr. Nurudeen Oluremi will never come up with this decision that will affect students.” He claimed.

Meanwhile, for Augustina, a graduating Microbiology student, who have completed her clearance and paid the initial fee for the certificate, the development is disappointing to students who thought they have settled all necessary bills having been cleared by the school.

“It’s really sad to think you have cleared all the school bills only to find out you still have some outstanding of the fee they added after you've cleared your bills” She said.

Odubonojo Mary, another graduating students from Mass Communication department, revealed that she knew the management were up to something when she was finalizing her clearance at the Bursary office.

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“When I got to the Bursary office during my clearance and I saw minus something, I knew something funny is about to happen.

“Please for God sake the school management should pity us and reduce the fee from 30k to 5k because this is not the best time to increase a payment and that is not how to increase a payment.

“If some students inform there parent about the increment, they will think they are lying. For some of them to pay that 5000 Naira, they went through a lot.” She pleaded.

Comparing the new certificate fee with that of Lagos State University (LASU), Ashimi Tawakalitu, another graduating student from Mass Communication department, alleged that graduating students from the state-owned University pay similar amount for their entire clearance exercise and not just for certificate.

 “LASU students have a specific fee of 30000 for clearance, which includes all other fees and certificate. But here, the #30,000 is just for the certificate that used to be 5000. If we aren’t benefitting from the schools advancement as a university we don’t have to contribute so much that is detrimental to us. Because as far as I’m concerned we’ve made sacrifices while we were still on campus.” She said.

As confirmed from different sources, Lagos State University’s graduating students are charged 27,000 Naira for convocation package which include Certificate fee, convocation gown, and some other fees.

“The school can no longer foot the bills” DSA gives reasons

Reacting to the development, LASUSTECH's Director of Students Affairs, Ademola Aderogba, in an interview with LaspoWatch, said the increment was as a result of the harsh economic situation in the country and foreign exchange rate.

According to him, the certificates which is said to have security features like the ones on Naira notes, are printed in the United Kingdom as there is inadequate facilities to handle the printing here in Nigeria.

He revealed that the institution have, over the past seven years, been subsidizing the certificate’s processing cost. But with the current decline in revenue generation by the institution, austerity measures were put in place by the Governing Council which include the removal of the subsidy placed on the certificate fee.

His words: “ The economic situation in Nigeria is very clear to everybody. The price of things yesterday can not be the same today talkless of price of something seven years ago being the same today. When the idea of improvising our certificate arose, we were having issues of fake certificate then. We felt that we are in a digital world now and have to upgrade. Being a polytechnic of excellence then, we must lead while others follow.

“So we had to digitalize the certificate with security features like the ones you have on Naira note which makes it difficult for anybody to take it. The school introduced it and that’s how we started the idea.

“Meanwhile, it was not printed in Nigeria. It was printed in the UK. As we know that most of the securities printing in Nigeria are handled outside Nigeria’s shire because we don’t have too much facilities to handle it.

“But how much is Dollars or Pounds Sterling seven years ago when we started? And how much is Pounds Sterling seven years after? Five thousand Naira then is enough to print a copy in the UK. All along, the school had money. We were buoyant with all kinds of Part-time programmes. But these programmes winding down gradually, it affects the school revenue. The school can no longer foot the bill like before.

“It was been subsidized then. But now that the school is going through austerity measures, we have to remove all kind of subsidy here and there otherwise the system will collapse.”

“We are your fathers. We are not wicked” PRO calms students; clears air around ongoing controversy

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While the fate of the graduating students who have made the initial 5000 Naira payment during their clearance could not be ascertained by the DSA as at the time of filing this report, LASUSTECH Public Relations Officer, Dr. Olarenwaju Kuye, however, debunked rumours that the cleared students will be paying #25,000 outstanding amount.

He revealed that the development will only affect those who are yet to start their clearance and pay the initial fee while urging the current final year students to avoid any form of unrest.

“The president of SUG (SURAKAT) was here yesterday and explain the situation which I found out it’s true. As I speak with you, they have written to the management and the management will look into it.

“You don’t have to go to the street and cause problem, all you need to do is to follow this normal procedure because there is no issue that’s not solvable. It’s not a big issue. When you war war, you will always come back to jaw jaw. We are your fathers and we are not wicked.

 “Students who graduated since 1980s refuse to collect their certificate, it was when we add 5000 to it before the start receiving it, it was free before. Those who have paid before do not have to pay anymore, that’s wickedness.” Dr. Kuye said.