From Okwe Obi, Abuja
A Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Lawal Adamu Usman, has tackled Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over hike in tuition fee in the State’s tertiary institutions
Usman, who was a senatorial candidate for Kaduna Central in 2019, described the move as wicked and an attempt to deprive the citizens of their fundamental right to get educated as most of the indigent students would drop out.
Addressing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, he urged the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) not to relent in its agitation against the mass sacking of civil servants by El-Rufai.
“I am making this statement with a rather heavy heart. Bearing in mind the way and manner the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government of Kaduna state to fulfil the promises made during the 2015 and 2019 elections, regrettably the current Kaduna state government embarked on anti people policies and programmes that have dire and painful consequences on the populace.
“The policies of the El-Rufa’i led government did nothing to ameliorate the pressing economic problems of impoverished masses, the administration farther placed a large segment of the society into scorching anguish of poverty.
“One would have easily ignored the ridiculous attempt by the Kaduna state Government to justify its outrageous, inhuman and astronomical increase in tuition fees in the state owned higher institutions.
“Sadly, and for the fact that the reasons adduced and sited by the government smacks of wickedness, lack of compassion and failure to understand and share in the plight of the poor and common citizens of Kaduna state under the present harsh economic conditions.
“Unfortunately, most of these predicaments that befell the citizenry were imposed on them by the insensitive and directionless stewardship of the All Progressive Congress (APC) government in the state.
“The statement made by the Secretary to the state government Mallam Balarabe Abbass Lawal who said, “even primary and secondary schools in the state charge as high as 500,000.00 for tuition”, he felt it was okay for the state government to impose an increase in tuition fees in Kaduna State’s higher institutions to more than 300 percent!
“For these sort of statements to come from the SSG in a state governed by a party that came to power on the claims that it would give succour to the people is not only regrettable but says volumes about the failure of governance in the state and lack of understanding of the elementary and fundamental responsibility of government upon its citizens.
“We must remember the reason why states are created in the first place, it is done in order to elaborate governance for the common good of its citizen.
“To take care of the welfare of the people and to provide a conducive and enabled environment for them to realise their potentials. Paramount among these basic welfare needs is education.
“Therefore, it makes no sense for a government to impose more hardship on parents and deprive their innocent and law abiding children their fundamental right to get education in their state.
“The fact that the state government admitted that the increase in tuition fees is based on the high fees of private institutions clearly shows that the government does not understand why it was elected in the first place.
“Governments are in place to institute law and order and provide services to its citizens but never as a profit making organ of any nation.
“Rather than mitigate the hardship, the present APC government is aggravating it the crunch already faced by majority of Kaduna state citizens.
“While the statement made by the Chief of Staff to the State Governor Muhammad Sani Dattijo, justifies the increase in tuition fees in KASU as being because of the cost of equipment and libraries, which according.
“To him, ‘do not come cheap”. His position is not only unfortunate and tragic, but it’s scary to have been said by an individual who is seen as a youth, in whom the youths would have looked up to in such a dire strait.
“Most unfortunately such statements came from the lips of a young man of his standing in government.
“It only proves beyond doubt that those in government have no concern for the hardship of the people they govern.
“The claim by the state government that it has sacked political appointees by the state to reduce cost of governance in the state is just a mere attempt to play to the gallery and deceive unsuspecting citizens.
“Sadly, nothing has changed in terms of the cost and expenditure on political appointees and other public office holders in the state.
“The ostentatious and flamboyant lifestyle of those close to the corridors of power in the Kaduna state government hasn’t changed, not in one bit.
“The recent insensitive sacking of civil servants in the state and the increasing cost of tuition fees in KASU, Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic and COE Kafanchan will most certainly squeeze the earnings of those fortunate civil servants who were not visited by the hammer of the governor.
“They may still have their jobs but they are not exempt from the biting pain of heavy taxes on their salaries and worsened by this wanton increase in tuition for their wards.
“This action is callous and wicked, and does not in any way look like the actions of a people’s leader.
“While parents and students in the state are still trying to come to terms with the penury imposed on them, the Governor had the effrontery to tweet on his official Twitter Handle on the 3rd of June 2021, that there is: ‘No going back on increase in fees in KASU’.
“This tweet clearly tells one how wicked and insensitive the present government is.
“People should simply make sure they understand their predicament and wish to live to see the next General Elections as even security is no longer a guarantee.
“Should we survive to see the 2023 Election, we must make sure we elect people with genuine policies which will not only ensure a stable economy, but that which will also ensure that security of jobs, lives and properties are guaranteed from Ward level to the Federal,” he said.
