By Oyibo Salihu
Lokoja
Kogi House of Assembly has ordered the management and heads of state tertiary institutions to appear before it to address alleged extortion of money from students in the name of educational materials.
The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion raised by Lawi Ahmed (PDP-Okene 1) on the floor of the House at plenary held in Lokoja yesterday.
The lawmaker, who noted that institutions of higher learning were expected to provide the needed environment for students to develop in character and learning as well as obtaining certificates at the end of their various programmes, regretted that the institutions had been turned into what he described a “extortion grounds”
He lamented that lecturers took advantage of the helpless situation of the students to extort money without considering the implications and effects of their actions on the students.
Ahmed maintained that in some of the institutions, books published without ISBN numbers were sold to students “by force”, adding that lecturers often coerce students to buy the books in lieu of Continuous Assessment tests and assignments.
“Lecturers in most cases threaten the students with losing of marks and even go further to tell them to be ready to carry over their courses”, he added.
He added that some lecturers go to the extent of sexually harassing female students, and emphasised on the need to restore sanity on the campuses.
The action of the lecturers, he pointed out, had made majority of the students to indulge in “ungodly acts” and go to any length to raise funds for the purpose of buying books, while some self-sponsored students get distracted in the process.
The motion which was seconded by Edoko Moses Ododo (APC-Dekina-Biraidu) was accorded overwhelming support by members at plenary.
The Speaker, Alhaji Umar Imam, adopted the motion, committed it to the House standing committee on education and charged it to invite the management of the institutions for an interface on the matter at committee level.
