The member representing Bende North constituency in Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Chijioke Chukwu has called in the state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to jettison plans to pay each student of ABSU the sum of N30,000.
He said instead of the said payment which the state government had announced as a measure to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the returning students and their families, the government should rather channel if to reduction in school fees for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
Speaking with newsmen, the Abia Assembly Deputy Minority leader expressed fear that if the state government goes ahead to disburse the sum of N30,000 to students if ABSU, the list will be dominated by fictitious names.
While further stating that this could as well pass as a ploy to siphon the resources of the state, Chukwu further alleged that a section and local governments of the state will dominate the list of beneficiaries to the detriment of the rest.
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“The planned disbursement of N30,000 to students should be channeled to reduction in school fees as done in Ebonyi, and other committed and caring state governments like Ekiti.
“This will cushion the economic effects of COVID-19 on parents. Our fears on the disbursement of funds is that the list of benefitting students will be filled with fictitious names.
“The list will equally take care of a particular section or local government of Abia state without consideration to every other local government in the state.
“It will be more justifiable for the governor to do a reduction in school fees of N20,000 across board for each student of Abia origin and N10,000 reduction for non-indigenes,” he said.
Hon. Chukwu also described as ridiculous and callous the earlier announcement by the ABSU authority instructing students to pay N15,000 COVID-19 pandemic prevention fee.
