No New Levies in State-owned Schools, Says Rivers Govt * APC alleges imposition of levies for politics

Rivers State Government has denied allegations that the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, was planning to levy students in tertiary institutions to fund his reelection bid.

The state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had said it had uncovered a plot by the governor to use heads of tertiary institutions to levy students of various sums of money to fund his election.

A statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary of APC, Chris Finebone, said the plot was unveiled by the state Chairman of the APC, Hon. Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, last weekend.

According to Flag-Amachree, "The scheme has already commenced by the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt in a circular by the school authorities requesting students of the institution to pay a dubious entrepreneurship training levy of N20,000 each student".

He added: “The collection of this fee of N20,000 is part of a grand design by Governor Wike to use the heads of tertiary institutions in Rivers State to raise funds through sundry levies to support the governor’s 2019 campaigns. Already, students of IAUE have been served a circular to that effect.

“The plan includes levying each student to submit their typed projects with a payment of N20,000 each for the binding of such projects. You can imagine how callous this governor can be."

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Education, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, stated that the state government is not introducing any levies in any of the state-owned schools.

In an interview on Tuesday, the commissioner noted that since Wike took over the leadership of the state, the State Government has not introduced new levies.

He described as false, rumours  that new levies have been introduced by the Wike administration in tertiary institutions. 

"Since this administration came on board, we haven't introduced any new levies  in any of our schools, not just  the tertiary institutions. 

"Rather, we are struggling  to check  excess charges. If the governor didn't impose  any levy when he was upgrading facilities in our tertiary institutions that were abandoned by the failed Amaechi administration before our arrival, why would we introduce levies now?" Gogo-Jaja said .

He added: "For the purpose of emphasis, there is no introduction  of any levies in any of our schools ".

He said that the  rumour being spread by the APC is weak propaganda by a faction of the  party seeking relevance.