The management of the Abia State University Uturu, has vowed to use the sledgehammer against lecturers of the institution who allegedly fleece students through sorting.
This is following complaints by parents that their wards told them that some dishonest lecturers coerced them to pay between N1000 and N3000 during submission of assignments.
The complaint was made during a town hall meeting of the university management, students and parents plus other stakeholders.
Irked by the sad development, the Pro-Chancellor and former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, vowed that any lecturer involved in such a dirty deal should be decisively dealt with.
He urged victims of the evil act to come forward and furnish the management of the institution with necessary information as well as evidence against the culprits.
Wabara said that the Governing Council had zero tolerance for corruption, and would not hesitate to wield the big stick against any lecturer(s) found culpable.
NNL investigation revealed that the extortion is more pronounced in the Pharmacy and Public Health Departments where a particular lecturer allegedly collects as much as N16,000 from every student in a course.
Earlier in a remark, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Onyemachi Ogbolu, outlined efforts made by the management to sanitise and transform the Institution.
He expressed concern over the disturbing new trend where students in Nigerian universities are getting involved in an ostentatious show of wealth through internet fraud otherwise known as “Yahoo Yahoo”.
The Vice-Chancellor said that the recent decision of the university management to ban students from driving private vehicles on the campus was taken in good faith to checkmate the trend.
On the insecurity challenge around the university vicinity, Professor Ogbolu said security patrol had been beefed up along Uturu-Okigwe Road especially the major flashpoints along the axis.
He added that there is 24-hour patrol within the campus, and urged the federal government to rise to the occasion of security challenges in the country including the university environment.
The Vice-Chancellor informed the various stakeholders of the necessity of upward review of school fees in view of the economic realities in the country.wSaww by
” If we must deliver quality education to our people we must be prepared to pay more”, the VC said.
He said that the current regime of school fees was fixed about 15 years ago, hence the obvious need to review it upwards.
Meanwhile, various respondents including parents and students appealed for only a minimal fee increase in view of the harsh economic situation in the country that is already taking a toll on parents.
