By Tunde Oso

The parents’ body of students of Ekiti State College of Nursing Sciences, Ado Ekiti has appealed to the state governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, State House of Assembly, Commissioners for Education and Health to intervene in its stalled negotiation with the Management of the college over the astronomical fees being charged by a private estate developer, BVERS Hostel and Suites.

The petition titled: Exorbitant Hostel bed Space at Ekiti State College of Nursing Sciences, obtained by Sunday Vanguard, stated, “We, as the parents’ body of the above College, use this medium to register our ordeal with the Management of the College and a private developer over exorbitant charge of N250,000 per bed space.

“Your Excellency, Sir, permit us to inform you that a bed space was charged at N40, 000 in the year 2022 when our children were offered admission into the college, but this amount was increased to N100, 000 per bed space when the students resumed. It took several negotiations before we were given a few months’ grace to pay for the additional N60, 000 to make up for the increment.

“We were surprised to receive an urgent call in September this year from our children that they have been moved to a new hostel within the College and with instructions by the College Management that a bed space will now cost N280, 000.

“However, the amount was merely reduced to N250, 000 per bed space after several engagements with the College Management to register our objections to the obnoxious increment. Further several appeals for reduction of the accommodation fee by the college management are unyielding and have eventually forced us to appeal to you as the father of the State to come to our aid and mediate on this issue and review as follows:

“The hostel, as designed, is only suitable for a student; after a careful review of the prevailing circumstances in and around Ekiti State, a charge of N250, 000 per student space is outrageous and unsustainable.

“Considering the health and well-being of our children, it will be hazardous to allocate four students to a room originally designed to accommodate a student.

“That we seek your fatherly intervention to instruct the management of the college to accept our proposal of a charge of N150, 000 per bed space and allocate a maximum of two students to a room.

“We equally wish to appeal to His Excellency to intervene in the proposed increment of the college fees beyond common man.

“Your Excellency Sir, we have no doubt in your government’s prioritization of the welfare of students and ensuring that their rights and interests are well protected at all times. We believe that you are against anything that will undermine the core principles of accessibility and affordability to education, which are crucial for factoring socio-economic growth in our state and the nation at large.

When this correspondent sought the reaction of the Chief Medical Director of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, EKSUTH, Professor Kayode Olabanji, he said he intervened when the parents brought the matter to his attention and that was why the initial fee of N280k was negotiated down to N250k and then N230k.

“However, it was when we negotiated it down to N250k that the parents decided to take the matter to the Office of the Governor and the House of Assembly. So, since the matter is now at the higher office, and a panel has been set up, we have to wait government pronouncement on the matter,” Prof Olabanji said.

Many of the parents, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said they don’t even mind paying the N230k, but the rooms should be of modern standards with excellent facilities and the number of students in a room, which is small reduced to 2 instead of 4, because they are too small and the roofs or ceilings leak water when rain falls.