NUGS EXPOSE OKUDJETO …Over Student Bill Payment Brouhaha

The General Secretary of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGs), Iddi Muhayu-deen has denied claims by the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa that the student body had endorsed the payment of utility bills by the students in public tertiary institutions.

NUGS further challenged the Deputy Minister of Education to put out the communiqu' which indicated where the student body agreed to that proposal.

Mr. Ablakwa is on record to have made that claim at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on April 15, 2015 whilst addressing students during the second edition of the Ministry's Campus Connect series. He has since been repeating same on several media platforms. This development has created a lot of fear and panic among students across the country; many of whom have vowed to take on the NUGS executive for such a betrayal of trust.

It is in fact against this background that the Executives deem it expedient to come clean on the matter and put out the true facts.

'In setting the records straight, we wish to begin by stating unequivocally that the claims by Okudzeto Ablakwa are factually incorrect, spurious, and as such should be disregarded by all. We are by this release, DARING Hon. Ablakwa to make public the said communiqu' he claims forms the basis for government's decision to partially withdraw utility subsidies to be borne by students, which was reached at the end of a stakeholder meeting. If Hon. Ablakwa fails to produce that communiqu', which he claims received the endorsement of NUGS (or its rep), then he should not only desist from making such claims, but should also retract and render an unqualified apology to the leadership of NUGS for this unwarranted disservice. If he fails to do either, we shall advise ourselves,' the statement emphasized.

It added that 'If government intends to withdraw utility subsidies to public institutions, then it should gather the necessary courage to make that point loud and clear rather than this cowardly approach of trying to 'implicate' student leaders in this enterprise as a cover-up for government's unpopular move. It is very much obvious that government is afraid of the consequences and political ramifications of such move hence the decision to play a smart one at all of us.'

Again it stressed that 'for the avoidance of doubt, we wish to once again state emphatically that NUGS has NOT consented to any communiqu' that involves levying the cost of utility bills on students. In fact, we are yet to see the final resolution or communiqu' of the stakeholder meeting held on 25^th March at the UPSA Auditorium. We therefore find it disingenuous that Ablakwa continuously makes reference to this communiqu' that nobody but himself has seen. Why hasn't it been issued to the media as agreed upon? Obviously, a communiqu' cannot be a secret document and we demand to see it NOW and NOW. We have had enough of this political gymnastics and merry-go-round.'

It said, 'wish to conclude by reiterating our long-standing impregnable position in respect of this matter, that NUGS shall vehemently RESIST any attempt by government to surcharge students for utility bills. That will not and cannot happen else the students of this country will shake the very foundation of our government with an unwavering ALUTA.'