Akeredolu will Double Ondo Tuition Fees If Re-elected – Pastor Giwa

Following the decision of Ondo State governor Rotimi Akeredolu to reduce tuition fees at the state-owned tertiary institutions, the senior pastor of Awaiting The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ Ministry, Adewale Giwa has urged the people of Ondo state to stay resolute and avoid selling their votes for money.

Giwa urged the Ondo state people not to allow a slogan of 2016, tagged “Vote, Go Home And Cook” to repeat itself in the forthcoming governorship election.

Governor Akeredolu had increased the tuition fees in 2018 from N30,000 to over N150,000 depending on the academic programmes of the students.

Students from different state-owned institutions had protested on the decision but the state government said there was no going back on the fees increase.

However, the state bowed to pressure on Thursday by cutting the tuition fees.

According to a circular, dated August 26, 2020, issued by the Acting Registrar and Secretary of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko to the Governing Council, Mr Opeoluwa Akinfenwa, the students in the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences who were paying N150,000 before will now pay N120,000.

Students in the Faculties of Agriculture and Education will now pay N100,000 instead of N150,000 while Faculty of Arts students will pay N80,000 as against N100,000 being paid before.

The circular, however, said the tuition fees for the Faculty of Law students remained N150,000.

Reacting in a statement he personally signed and forwarded to Daily Post on Friday, Pastor Giwa said bad advisers pushed governor Akeredolu to increase tuition fees in 2018.

He said there was nothing governor Akeredolu could use to convince the people of Ondo state that his administration would not double the fees if re-elected.

“It’s just unfortunate that people prefer darkness to light, even our Lord Jesus Christ testifies to it in the book of John 3:19. 

“I hope our people won’t repeat ‘Vote, go home and cook’ slogan again this time. If they do, they will face the consequences for another four years.

“Money is not the source of lasting happiness. I call on the people of Ondo state to reject any quick offer from politicians and vote according to their conscience.

“By now, we should have known whether to continue with the way things are or to change things for better through our collective prayers.