The Abia State Government has announced N10, 000 reduction in school fees for all its indigenes schooling at the Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU).
Commissioner for Information, Mr Bonnie Iwuoha, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Umuahia, said the gesture was to encourage university education among all classes of ‘Abians’.
The decision which according to him was taken at the meeting of the State’s Executive Council, was in pursuit of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s “determination to reach out to the poor and needy and encourage people from various backgrounds to acquire university education.”
He, however, added that beneficiaries must present the tax receipts of their parents or guardians which must be verified through biometrics before they would qualify for the gesture.
The Commissioner appealed to other Abians studying in other tertiary institutions in and outside the state not to feel bad about their exclusion, stressing that government still has their interest at heart.
He also announced that Government had directed that the Law and Business faculties of ABSU be immediately relocated from its main campus at Uturu to Umuahia where new structures had been built for them.
Both faculties, according to him will now be domiciled in their facilities within the premises of Ibeku High School Umuahia.
Similarly, the Engineering faculty of the institution would move to Aba “ as soon as facilities at the new campus are ready”.
Explaining that ABSU was abinitio established as a multi- campus institution to stimulate even development, the Government’s spokesman said the measure was in good faith.
Iwuoha further said that the state’s free school meal programme had successfully been tested at the three senatorial zones in the state which had resulted to increased school enrollment in the affected schools.
DAILY POST
