Extortion of Students reaches its peak at ALVAN -It is for Naira devaluation-Lecturers

Imo State is fast turning into the "most capitalist and cheating
driven economy in Nigeria". Just coming out from the fuel crisis
whereby the Independent Petroleum Marketers were said to have
collaborated in insensitively adjusting the pump prices of AGO, PMS
and HHK to what many have described as an astronomical costs, the
tertiary institutions in Imo State have continued to adjust upwardly
their school fees and levies to levels that are totally unaffordable.

For instance, students of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education
(AIFCE) were last week restrained from protesting against the sudden
inconsiderate increment of their school fees from N35, 000 per
sessions to N50, 000, when the authorities led by Dr. (Mrs.) Blessing
C Ijioma responded with a cut from the estimated N50, 000 to the N40,
000 per session.

Elsewhere in the school, lecturers have perfected the acts of sorting
by increasingly down grading their students who in turn are compelled
to resort to sorting either in kind or in cash. Besides, text books or
handouts usually published by the local lecturers had their prices
shot up to N1500 per booklet from the former N1000 and made more
compulsory or mandatory for procurement for the students, in all their
courses. When confronted by the students, some of the lecturers who
merely photocopy or duplicate the handouts for the students to buy,
explained that the 50% increase is as a result of the wide and
increasing dollar exchange rate to a Naira which is almost N400 per
dollar in the open market. As if that is not enough extortion of poor
students, some of whose parents are owed many months arrears of
salaries, students of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri
are now compelled to sign each course form with N200.