LASU To Refund Over N840m For Student Excess Payment

Lagos State University, LASU, is to refund over N840 million fees paid by the students following the directive by Governor Babatunde Fashola to revert it to the old fees of N25, 000.

Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. John Obafunwa who disclosed this in an interview said management had compiled the list of the students who would receive the excess fund.

Obafunwa said, “We have already calculated the excess paid by the students, do not forget that even before the reversal, a lot of them have already paid for this session and we have already calculated within, what have been paid in excess. We have calculated over N840 million. It will only be for this session.

The reversal does not mean LASU will go back to where it used to be and the problems of the past. You cannot go beyond the available infrastructure. You cannot take more than what you can’t admit. I don’t see any disadvantage in the reduction of the fee.”

He maintained that the fee reversal was not a decision of the university’s management, noting that “don’t forget there is the governing council and government, who are equally involved. It is a joint decision. Be that as it may, it is a welcome decision in a way depending on who is looking at it or commenting.”

The vice chancellor however, insisted that the reversal of the fees would have both good and bad sides, noting that the reversal would be a reduction in the expenditure of the school.

Assuring parents and students, Obafunwa said, “Nothing is going to happen to all the capital projects going on in the university.

”The students have a role to play, they should take advantage of the fee reduction, pay attention to their studies and be more serious. You can be sure that next year, you will have lots of people applying to come to LASU, you must have the necessary infrastructure in place to accommodate any number.

If you have more people applying to LASU, it gives you the opportunity to pick from the best. We are preparing our minds for those things; we expect parents to educate their children to maintain a very high standard.”

Obafunwa said it was unfortunate that the school had to go through a phase in the history, saying now that things were in shape, the current interest of parents, university administration and students would be to make progress as regard to the academic calendar.

He added “And that is what we are focusing on now and I can tell you that we have had meeting with students union. The students have paid their fees. We reopen the portal after making adjustment to the new fees.”