- Beneficiaries fume over denial, poor implementation
- Students yet to receive theirs should file official complaints to bursary dept- Spokespersons
Daniel Nworie
Before a cheering crowd of students and dignitaries at the Buba Marwa Hall at the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, garbed in a colourful, flowery linen blazer announced the 50 percent tuition scholarship for 556 best students across the Ojo, Ikeja and Epe campuses with a first-class cumulative grade point.
Other perks attached to the scholarship included a branded pen with the bold, gold-coloured inscription; “SCHOLAR”. The gesture was a restatement of the promise Bello made on the 25th of October, 2021, on the first anniversary of her appointment. She promised a 50 percent tuition fee scholarship to every student who makes a first-class cumulative point every session.
According to the VC, the graduating students would have a 50 percent refund of their tuition, while the undergraduates would have a 50 percent rebate on their fees. The announcement was received with infectious enthusiasm as the students gave thunderous applause at the event organised to celebrate Bello’s one year in office as VC.
“I was elated when she said it. It was motivating that the management deemed it necessary to acknowledge and reward academic excellence, and it spurred me to put more effort into my academics,” said Mojeeb Awonuga, one of the fresh students at the event.
Tales of disappointment, dashed hope
There was a spell of silence after the anniversary, until a few days before the deadline for school fee payment for the 2022/23 academic session when the portal was activated to reflect the rebate, after a bit of pressure from the students’ union. Some recipients had already paid their school fees in full by this time.
“Nothing was said about the rebate after the anniversary. The portal was suddenly activated about two days before the deadline to reflect the rebate. I had already paid my school fees before it became effective. They could still refund me, so I worked towards it, but the process was tedious. I went from the Information Communication Technology, ICT, to the Senate building and from the Senate building to the ICT again until it started to feel like a wild goose chase, so I gave up. I also asked around if anyone had already paid their full school fees and still got the refund, but I couldn’t find any, so I assumed it wouldn’t be possible. The process wasn’t communicated clearly, which became a problem for many of us. You know that this is Nigeria, and it is very typical for us to hear our leaders make promises and not follow through, so before this, I didn’t have so much trust that they would fulfill them, and the aftermath of everything further reinforced that,” Samiat Ajayi, one of the first-class students at Ojo campus said.
Like Samiat, another student at Ojo Campus identified simply as Esther, who did not get the rebate, stressed the lack of structure in implementing the scholarship scheme.
She said: “I felt so happy that at last someone was willing to acknowledge all the efforts we put in as students. I never consciously had the plan to make first-class, so, the promise spurred me to put in more effort. When the anniversary happened, I was given a letter of commendation by the VC herself. It was so emotional and satisfying. Unfortunately, I did not receive the rebate at its implementation. Initially, I and a few friends went to the bursary, and we were told to pay the full school fee with the promise that they would get back to us at our various faculties. The man advised us to pay so we wouldn’t have issues with school fee payment during our clearance, saying that the school would find a way around paying the rebate to all parties. I went on to pay my school fee, as I hated the culture of waiting until the deadline when everyone started rushing to pay and then the portal started getting slow and frustrating. Alas, the portal was activated to reflect the rebate a day before deadline day, which pissed me off. I was not pained that it was this shabby. I would have been even more shocked if they went on to fulfill that promise. The way they went around the implementation depleted every assurance in me that the promise would be fulfilled. I feel there is even no ground to hold them accountable since it was just a promise. It is not like they owe us anything in all fairness”
One of the students who received the rebate, Yinka (not real name), appreciated the gesture but decried its shoddy implementation.
He said: “It took so long, and there was no official means of communicating to us. I almost paid my school fees, but I decided to wait until it was almost the deadline, and then I saw that it was now reflected on the portal. Some people I knew already paid. One of my friends who I followed to make inquiries at the bursary decided to pay when it looked like nothing was forthcoming. I am glad that I received it, but the delay ensured that some people could not receive it”
Ruth, (not her real name) another student at the Ojo campus received her rebate but felt that the process was too shabby. “The idea to reward people was so good, but there was no organisation around it and no form of official communication after the anniversary. Many times, I expected them to put out an update or something close to that, but everyone was left in the dark. At some point, I thought nothing was going to happen again. Some went ahead to pay before they heard it was now reflected in the portal. It would have been better if they had communicated to us through our faculties, or even through the school’s official pages, stating that we should all hold on until it was activated, but there was nothing like that. We kept asking each other who had paid or who hadn’t, or whether we should pay or wait a little longer. Although I am happy that I got mine, I just feel that they should have been more meticulous with the implementation such that everyone involved would have gotten the rebate.”
A prominent student in the Faculty of Arts who did not receive his rebate and asked not to be named explained that he, alongside others who did not receive it, wrote a letter to the bursar and attached their account details to claim the rebate, but nothing came out of it till date.
He said: “I tried my best to get it as promised. However, all efforts were to no avail. Before the closure of the school fees portal for the 2022/2023 academic session, I as well as others longed to get official information from the management on how the rebate would be effected, but we saw nothing. Thence, I proceeded to pay my full fee to avoid late-time challenges. It was two days before the portal closure that the information was released and at that time, many people had paid fully. Towards the end of that session, we got further information that we (first-class students) should write a letter to the bursar with our account details attached to claim our rebate, which I did. As we speak, I have not got any refund from the management.”
The scenario at the Ojo campus also played out in Epe. The portal was activated close to the deadline when some had already paid, and that meant not everyone involved benefited. Efe (not real name) from the Epe campus revealed to our reporter that although he and some people got theirs, quite many people were unable to get theirs because they had already paid before it was activated on the portal. He said: “I was able to get mine seamlessly, but that was because I waited for a long while before I paid my school fee. Every other person who waited like me got the rebate, but some people I know already paid. For me, they should have activated that option for first-class students before the school fee payment started. That way, all the recipients would have benefited greatly, but the late activation meant otherwise.”
Same lamentations at LASUCOM
Students from the Ikeja campus, Lagos State University College of Medicine, LASUCOM, comprising five departments – Physiology, Dentistry, Medicine and Surgery, Nursing, and Pharmacology were brought in buses to receive their recognition and letters of commendation on the day of the anniversary. However, it appears that while some of them at least got the rebate at the Ojo and Epe campuses, the Ikeja campus was completely forgotten.
One of the students from LASUCOM, Kemi, (not real name) spoke to this reporter and revealed that she was not able to get the rebate. “I paid my school fee as usual since no one was doing anything about it. I did not receive it, and I am sure that no one from the Department of Medicine got the rebate too.”
Another student from LASUCOM explained all of the attempts and steps they took to get the management to attend to them, but nothing came through. He said; “I was a beneficiary of the scholarship and I had some of my classmates who were beneficiaries as well. We received our letters of commendation from the student affairs over here in LASUCOM. They said the modalities for getting the rebate would be communicated to us. After a while, we went to the college secretary, and they told us they would get back to us. Later, we found out that there was an update in the school fees payment portal for first-class students to pay only 50% of their tuition fees. However, it was not reflected in our section. I presume it was for only Ojo students. We informed our provost about this, and he said we should proceed to pay, and that the rebate will still be given. We did that. After a while, we decided to write a letter. All of us – 107 students from LASUCOM in total decided to write to the provost of our college to inform him. We discussed and a few people drafted the letter, but we did not get any feedback. I have been paying my school fees in full since then. I don’t know if anybody has been refunded, but I know that 107 of us did not get the rebate the first time, and we were asked to pay our school fee in full before the portal closed.”
Same sad stories
While the first part of the promise was that students from 100-300 level would get a rebate, the second part promised that graduating students would get a 50 percent refund of their tuition fee. However, it appears that just like in Ikeja, there was no modality to refund the graduating students.
“No one said anything to us. I heard the Students’ Union intervened for those in lower levels to get, and some of the students in the lower levels got the rebate, but nothing was done for us. I had little hope then because we had a new vice chancellor, but I had an inkling that nothing may come out of it. I chose not to pursue it further. None of my graduating friends received it too” one of our sources revealed.
Speaking on the issue, Comrade Agoro Abdulrahmon Oreoluwa, the President of the Students’ Union at the time of the rebate’s implementation highlighted the role he played in ensuring the rebate was implemented.
“The rebate was not promised during my tenure, and the management already kicked off with it before my administration. The only problem was that the bursary and accounting department did not allow it to reflect on the recipients’ school fee portal before they started paying their school fees. It was very late. However, some of the students who did not receive it, went to the bursary to receive their cash. On the role my administration played, all I can say is that I was at the bursary unit many times, and we did our bit in making sure it reflected when it did.”
Ruth, one of the students who received the rebate the first time expressed her displeasure saying: “Even though the first implementation was shabby, I was expecting them to find out where they erred, pay everyone who did not receive it the first time, and then plan better for the next time, but nothing is being said, contrary to the promise that was made to us. It is quite obvious that they are perhaps not ready to continue with it.”
Unlike the first implementation where the portal that reflected the rebate was activated a few days before school fee payment, checks by our reporter revealed the portal for the 2023/2024 school fee payment did not reflect the rebate at all, and there was no official means of communicating with the students on how to access the rebate.
Bursary, Information Units respond
In a brief interview with our reporter, the Deputy Bursar, identified as Mr. Kunle, urged the aggrieved students to write to the Bursary Unit for a refund of their school fees.
“It is true that we give scholarships for first-class students. Some people who you mentioned as not receiving theirs will have to write to the Bursary (for a refund),” he said.
He however declined further comments saying that our reporter has to send an inquiry to the Bursar for an official response on the matter.
“Since this will go out in the media, it has to follow administrative procedure. Only the Bursar can speak to you, and it’ll become the university’s standpoint. Even if any other person would speak to you, the Bursar must be the one to make the approval.”
Only the Bursar can speak to you, and it will become the university’s standpoint. Even if any other person would speak to you, the Bursar must be the one to make the approval”
Our reporter also visited the university’s Centre for Information and Public Relations, where he met the coordinator, Mrs. Oluwayemisi Thomas Onashile who collected his number and promised to revert to our reporter.
When she eventually called our reporter, she handed the phone to her male colleague, who said: “The scholarship was activated. If anyone did not receive it, they should go to the Bursary to get their refund” When told that there were people who went to the bursary and did not still get the rebate, especially at the first implementation, he said: “I think you should go and meet the Dean of Students’ Affairs, as he is the one with adequate information on the matter. He is the chairman of that scholarship committee.”
