We will not increase LASU school fees – Ambode

‘’If we say Lagos is a centre of excellence, we must then strive,
deliberately, to ensure that whatever we are providing in terms of
infrastructure, curriculum and content, the students actually benefit,
because they are actually the future leaders of this country”



The governor-elect of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode has stated that
he will not increase the school fees of the Lagos State University (LASU),
Ojo. LASU school fees had been reduced by the governor Babatunde
Fashola administration from N170, 750 to N25, 000.

Ambode who
disclosed this during a radio programme held at UNILAG said: “‘I want to
assure all the students of LASU, we would not increase school fees.”
Asked his plan for higher education in Lagos State, the accountant and
alumnus of UNILAG who lamented the deplorable state of higher education
in Nigeria, noted that it is not in a state which all of us are proud of.

He said what is worrisome now is the quality of graduates Nigerian
institutions of higher learning are churning out. According to him, the kind
of attention government has been giving to higher education necessitate the
low quality of graduates churned out every year. ‘’I am happy we have
taken over the centre now,” he added.

Speaking in the radio programme anchored by Dr Ayo Ogunsan, an expert
in higher education-related issues, Ambode said: “We have a major
programme for higher education in our manifesto; we will pursue that
together with the national government.”

On LASU fees, he reiterated: “If there is anything we must do, we would sit
down together and see what can be done, and even review the fees they are
paying now. I am a product of a lot of Ivy League schools. I have been to
different schools, and I understand and know the kind of standard and
quality of education I have been able to benefit from those schools.

“If we say Lagos is a centre of excellence, we must then strive, deliberately,
to ensure that whatever we are providing in terms of infrastructure,
curriculum and content, the students actually benefit, because they are
actually the future leaders of this country.

“The truth is that if we don’t start a succession plan from our higher
institutions, then we are joking, because it is not about the people who are
almost getting to 50 or 60 years and are going away. It is actually about
the younger ones whose capacity we really need to start to build and then
allow them to take over from us. I am going to take advantage of my social
capital, being in the party at the centre, to allow us use it for the
improvement of higher education in Lagos State.’’

Because of Dr Ayodele Ogunsan’s passion for education for higher
education in Nigeria, he had, over the years, trained vice chancellors,
rectors, provosts and other top executives in tertiary institutions to be more
proactive.