Tuition fees reversal: LASU to refund N840m to students

Lagos—Lagos State University, LASU, is to refund
over N840 million fees paid by the students
following the directive by Governor Babatunde
Fashola to revert it to the old fees of N25, 000.
Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. John
Obafunwa who disclosed this in an interview said
management had compiled the list of the students
who would receive the excess fund.
Obafunwa said, “We have already calculated the
excess paid by the students, do not forget that even
before the reversal, a lot of them have already paid
for this session and we have already calculated
within, what have been paid in excess. We have
calculated over N840 million. It will only be for this
session. The reversal does not mean LASU will go
back to where it used to be and the problems of the
past. You cannot go beyond the available
infrastructure. You cannot take more than what you
can’t admit. I don’t see any disadvantage in the
reduction of the fee.”
He maintained that the fee reversal was not a
decision of the university’s management, noting that
“don’t forget there is the governing council and
government, who are equally involved. It is a joint
decision. Be that as it may, it is a welcome decision
in a way depending on who is looking at it or
commenting.”
The vice chancellor however, insisted that the
reversal of the fees would have both good and bad
sides, noting that the reversal would be a reduction
in the expenditure of the school.
Assuring parents and students, Obafunwa said,
“Nothing is going to happen to all the capital
projects going on in the university.
”The students have a role to play, they should take
advantage of the fee reduction, pay attention to their
studies and be more serious. You can be sure that
next year, you will have lots of people applying to
come to LASU, you must have the necessary
infrastructure in place to accommodate any
number. If you have more people applying to LASU,
it gives you the opportunity to pick from the best.
We are preparing our minds for those things; we
expect parents to educate their children to maintain
a very high standard.”
Obafunwa said it was unfortunate that the school
had to go through a phase in the history, saying now
that things were in shape, the current interest of
parents, university administration and students
would be to make progress as regard to the
academic calendar.
He added “And that is what we are focusing on now
and I can tell you that we have had meeting with
students union. The students have paid their fees.
We reopen the portal after making adjustment to the
new fees.”