AKWAPOLY suspends fee review * as Akon Eyakenyi calls for peace

BY EMMANUEL AKPAN  

Following last Monday protest by students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Asura, over fee increment, the governing council of the institution has put on hold the fee review, saying the council will meet with the school management and come up with a new directive.

Briefing newsmen on Tuesday at the school compound, the Chairman, Governing Council of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi said the decision to suspend the fee review was reached after the governing council had met with the Rector of the institution, Dr. Isreal Affia as well as the management of the institution to discuss issues affecting the institution.

Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi disclosed that from what the Rector told the council, the fee review was approved by the immediate past Commissioner of Education, Hon. Aniekan Akpan for it to be implemented from 2016/2017 new academic session. She said the fee increment was for the new students and it has nothing to do with the old or returning students.

She said the governing council was yet to give approval for the management of the institution to begin the implementation, stressing that the day-to-day running of the institution is vested on the Rector and the school management, while the council is to ensure that policies approved is properly implemented. 

While calling on normalcy to return to the institution, the Governing Council Chairman noted that the Rector did not just wake up to implement the review of fee, but the Rector had went through the normal process by getting approval from the then Commissioner of Education while the Governing Council of the school was yet to be constituted.

In her words, “Now that the council of the institution has been constituted by the Governor, the council will sit to go through the policies affecting the day-to-day running of the school and ensure that it is done for the well being of the students. The Government of Akwa Ibom State led by Deacon Udom Emmanuel is a student’s friendly Government, so the Governor is more concern about the accreditation of courses in this polytechnic.”

She stressed that students are expected in all situations, to follow due process, emphasizing that the angry students should have consulted the governing council before embarking on the protest. “If the students are not satisfied with the policies of the management, they should have approached the council for solution and not to go on demonstration. Our main concern is that students must have peace on campus, must be properly taught and come out properly trained.”             

Mrs. Eyakenyi, who is a former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, maintained that the essence of the establishment of AKWAPOLY by the State Government is to ensure that the young ones have an opportunity to further their education, and that the present administration of Deacon Udom Emmanuel is interested and concern about the education of Akwa Ibom children and particularly the governor is concern about what happen in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic because it is through institutions like AKWAPOLY, that young ones are going to be trained properly and come out to become useful citizens of the State.

She further stated that the government is also interested in the students of the polytechnic having qualitative education by allowing the students pass through the school as well as allowing the school pass through them to have proper education and training so that at the end of their studies, they come out to become useful to not only Akwa Ibom State, but to Nigeria in general. 

        

 Furthermore, the chairman maintained that the council will sit and ensure that the interest of the students would be taken into consideration even as she urged the students to down their tools and allow the council to step into the fee review even as she promised that the council will come up with a decision that will favour both the management and the students.