By Olasunkanmi Akoni

LAGOS – A group, Young Journalists Forum, YJF, has condemned the recent increment of over 700 per cent in Lagos State University’s fees, describing it as Governor Babatunde Fashola’s dangerously growing conservatism.

The group said the increment was unacceptable and a betrayal of mandate given to Governor Babatunde Fashola for a second term.

President of the group, Mr. Ayodele Samuel, and Secretary, Mr Zacheaus Somorin, said unlike the action taken by Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who, on becoming the governor of the state, drastically reduced the fees payable by the students of the newly created Osun State University, Fashola had decided to deny potential students who might be interested in gaining admission to the institution their right to higher education.

Advising Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, not to tow the path of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP which did not have plan for free education, the YJF urged the party to call the governor to order to contain his growing governance conservatism.

It wondered how the over N20 billion generated by the state monthly was being utilised if affordable education was not part of its priority.

“The action of the Lagos State government in increasing tuition fees in Lagos State University gives credence to the fear and failure suspicion that people have for second term of states’ chief executives in Nigeria as previous evidence has shown that the second opportunity is used to elevate rather than alleviate the suffering of the people,’’ the group stated.

’’ The illogical and irresponsible diatribe of the Lagos State’s Commissioner for Information that the fees will only affect the incoming students is deceitfully escapist and extenuating as that does not remove that fact that the fees are not affordable,” the group added.

It called on the students, parents and all stakeholders to sustain their rejection of the fees regime, saying the best was for the imposition to fail to save the people from being raped of the right to education in a state that hitherto represented hope of good governance.