By Yusuf Adua
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has described the plan of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to reduce tuition fees in tertiary institutions in the state as a mere campaign to blindfold the electorates ahead of the October 10 gubernatorial elections set to go down in the state.
The party maintained that for the governor to make such a pledge when elections are just a stone_throw to us was surreal and laughable.
The governor who said plans are underway to reduce tuition fees when the National Association of Nigerian Students visited him on Wednesday.
Akeredolu notified the students that he had earlier sent his team to find out the tuition payable in other state-owned institutions with a view to knowing what steps to take on the reduction of tuition in the sunshine state.
According to the Governor, “Students are important to us. It will take all of us to sit down to have this discussion about tuition. It’s not a discussion of the deaf. All of us will be hearing. A time when you go to Abuja and take #9 Billion as against when you go to Abuja now and get far less and you have to pay salary”.
“At my last meeting, I have said let me have where they are paying less than what we charge here. What we found out was that for those newly admitted, we still charge the lowest in tuition but for the second year and all, we have state-owned institutions that charge lesser than us. And if not for this issue of COVID, we have decided to reduce it. We will reduce it”.
The governor who insisted that the whole benevolence is not political_driven said ” I know by the time we announce it they will turn it to political gains. We will make sure that by next week we make the announcement on the fee.”
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However, The Ondo PDP in a statement signed by its spokesman, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, wondered whether Akeredolu just realised that hundreds of students have dropped out of state-owned tertiary institutions on account of increased fees?
“Did Akeredolu not say that the increment of fees parents were complaining about is not more than the cost of a pair of shoes?”
“Making such a pledge now that elections are just around the corner is laughable and ridiculous. It is a calculated attempt to deceive the people who have outrightly rejected Akeredolu and the APC for anti-people policies and Programmes” the party stressed.
The party however boldly opined that no amount of deceit and fake promises will save Governor Akeredolu from defeat at the polls come October.
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Meanwhile, Ondo is not the only state where a theatrical political showdown is on its way as Edo state is also adjusting its sleeves for their governorship election. A showdown is also brewing in Bayelsa as the court nullified the election that brought Governor Doye Diri into office.
