Students commend FG for reducing UTME registration fee

The National Association of Nigerian Students NANS has commended the Federal Government for reducing Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination registration fee.

The students' body on Thursday, November 29, 2018, in a statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Mr Bestman Okereafor praised the government for reducing the fee.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, approved a reduction in the cost of the Unified Tertiary Examination and Matriculation Examination (UTME) form to N3500.

The students in the statement also reacted to the ongoing ASUU strike saying the lecturers' strike has prevented their colleagues from graduating in 2018.

ALSO READ: 2019 UTME registration to begin in December

Illustrative Photo: Nigerian students protesting over prolonged ASUU strike. ece-auto-gen

The statement reads in part:

“NANS considers this decision as a good and progressive minded one, but strongly believes that resolving the ongoing ASUU/COEASU strikes would be better.

“We are of the opinion that schools must be made conducive for all students on campuses as it was in the days of old.

“The Presidency must consider making our campuses a conducive atmosphere for learning and research purposes.

“It is highly disheartening that we have lost quite a handful of young, hardworking and promising Nigerian students to the cold hands of death due to the ongoing strike.

“Even as some of our students are now been exposed to various crimes, and drugs. For an idle hand they say is the devil’s workshop.’’

ASUU strike may be prolonged

Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned undergraduates that the strike may be prolonged.

The union said the ongoing strike may not be called off anytime soon because no concrete resolution has been reached in the negotiation with the Federal Government.

The union, therefore, called on parents and students to show understanding over the development to save Nigeria’s university system from collapse.