From Victor Osula, Abuja
Aggrieved parents have made allegations of illegal payment of clearance fees by some graduating Students of University of Abuja before going for the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, programme.
Sources in the institution confirmed that the unit was specially created by the Vice Chancellor and headed by one Hajia, who molests and barks on Students, Staff and Parents, who came to resolve such clearance issues
According to a parent,”I have been to the school, I saw so many students with complaints of illegal fees to obtain clearance. Using me as example, my daughter was admitted in 2017, through JAMB, to read Statistics, but the University offered her Biological Science, for which we paid N20,000 for a change of course. After graduation in 2020/21 set, the university is requesting that I pay N80,000 in 2023 for clearance because the university exceeded its quota during the admission”.
Another said, ” I am taking up the case with Nigeria University Commission, NUC, JAMB and other relevant bodies to seek justice and end the illegal extortion going on at the University of Abuja”
“The Vice Chancellor must account for this with the set up of the illegal unit to collect this huge sum. So many students have missed their NYSC service year for not being able to pay the illegal sum.
Reacting on Wednesday to the development, the university spokesperson, Dr Habib Yakoob, said the allegations were an attempt to skip clearance fees and short-change the institution.
Yakoob stated that the verification department in charge of clearance has all the facts at its disposal, adding that more than 80 per cent of the students had paid, while 15 per cent were yet to pay.
He said: “There is nothing illegal about the fees and the University is very clear on this. The students whose names are not on the accepted Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) JAMB list must pay such a fee.
“While some of those students paid, many others do not, often time, in an attempt to short-change the university.”
