What one perceives from the very poorly crafted Communique in shameful grammar by the National Association of Nigeran Students (NANS) leadership of Ebonyi State is, first of all, that they are not fit to present themselves as students of a tertiary educational institution; secondly, there is a pitiable failure to define what they are trying to achieve. Thirdly, they don't have the interest of AE-FUNAI students at heart. Let's take it one after the other.

NOT FIT TO BE CALLED UNDERGRADUATES
The very first sentence contained a bomb that will make primary school pupils collapse with laughter: "... a revolutionary and freedom greetings from ...". There are many other unforgivable grammatical blowouts that cause headache. If this frightening assemblage of grammatical errors is available in a single public release, then God help the teachers that mark the scripts of these so-called NANS leaders. These are probably professional students who find activism more profitable than finishing school and moving on with their lives. Their grammar suggests that they probably don't attend classes. Their English language should cause them to hide their faces in shame. Every one of them whose signature is on that material has become an embarrassment to humanity on account of such poor use of language by a higher education student. This, once more, calls to question the leadership recruitment process in Nigeria. One feels certain that there are students that speak and write more decently than this garbage. So, how come these are the ones representing the better students? Could it be that the better students are put off by the political system or too busy studying to care? Even rough students speak and write better than these ones. So what is the matter and where is this leading to? Ebonyi as a State should begin to get worried about this. The Special Adviser to Governor Dave Umahi on Youth/Student Affairs should begin to tell His Excellency that the people that will be contesting for his office in 20 years time are lame in language and possibly in logic. The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Economic Development needs to red-flag this letter and use it to extrapolate the quality of governance and public discourse in 10 - 20 years time. Economic Development is, firat about people. There is danger. Unless the State deliberately raises another set of leaders in other spheres, there will be huge a problem from this generation of student leaders with a fractured power of expression and reasoning.

WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO ACHIEVE?
The document which has been circulating as Communique stated, inter alia, "We, having honoured our meeting at AE-FUNAI subsequent to our notification that the management of AE-FUNAI having endorsed the formation of a forum called Funai Parents Forum which they used to impose a security fee of #50,000.00 (fifty thousand naira) on level 100 students and #5,000.00 on level 200 students in the name of security fee ...." This suggests (1) that the NANS people 'honoured' their meeting at AE-FUNAI, whatever that means; and (2) FUNAI PARENTS FORUM was " ... used to impose a security fee ...". This is where the logic gets illogical. From what one knows, FUNAI PARENTS FORUM is an assemblage of parents and guardians of students of AE-FUNAI. In 2016 when it was formed, the parents observed that chairs in most classrooms and lecture theaters had been broken in the course of use (and misuse). Hence, students had to stand or carry blocks to sit for their lectures and exams. It was also observed that there was no perimeter fence around the school and coming on the heels of experiences in Lagos state where students were kidnapped from their hostels as well as the Chibok experience, parents felt a dire need to wall the campus. Parents also expressed discomfort at the fact that staff didn't live on campus. People came to work from Abakaliki which is 30 minutes away and retired there at the end of each day, leaving the rather young male and especially female students alone through the night and weekends. There was no allocation in the 2016 Federal Budget to meet these crying needs and the parents decided to courageously take steps towards providing some of these facilities while seeing how they could help to have the items appropriated for in the 2017 federal budget. Accordingly, the parents met, agreed amongst themselves and communicated their agreement to the university to the effect that they would pay SECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE levy for each of their students. They fixed the amount themselves and they resolved not to tolerate the free rider phenomenon whereby some people choose to benefit without paying. That is where enforcement came from. It is curious to note that the NANS representatives appear not to recognize the dynamics at play here. It is not about the University raising money, it is about Parents wanting their children safe and provided for. FUNAI Parents manage the fund themselves. They construct what needs to be constructed and buy what needs to be bought. It is gladdening to note that so far, FUNAI PARENTS FORUM has contributed chairs in classrooms and lecture halls. Standing to take lectures or carrying blocks to sit on for exams has become a thing of the past. Many students do not even remember such an experience. Also, the perimeter fencing of the Ikwo campus is proceeding. The infamous herdsmen have been seen grazing cattle in the campus because of the porous nature of the borders. While we pray for no mishap, it is clear that the best remedy is to fence the premises and thus deny them access intoto. Trust God, but lock your doors. NANS, Ebonyi Zone should rather praise the AE-FUNAI Parents Forum, rather than vilify the University. This is a business of the parents, not that of University Management. If there are students or parents that are worried about the ability to pay, they should use the platform of the Parents Forum to ventillate their opinions. Just as NANS's Communique stated "We, having honoured our meeting at AE-FUNAI ..." all parents should equally "honour" their own meeting. If any NANS leader failed to "honour" their meeting, would it exculpate such a leader from ownership of the decision taken at the meeting?". NANS is a civilized assembly. It's leaders should demonstrate the requisite level of civilization on this matter. The answers you get depend on the questions you ask. You know an intelligent man by the answers he gives, but you know a wise man by the questions he asks. It's time for NANS Ebonyi to ask the right questions - in wisdom.

HIDDEN COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION
The Parents Forum Security and Infrastructure levy is a straightforward levy imposed by parents on themselves for the provision of infrastructure and the enhancement of security on campus. One's experience is that the AE-FUNAI Management remains largely transparent about key decisions on funds, funding and the like. Parents have also not been opaque. There is no staff or student, if such a person cares to listen, who doesn't know what the Levy is about, how it came about, what it is achieving and how it is managed. There is no hidden cost in AE-FUNAI, to the best of this writer's knowledge. Hidden costs in higher education include the fact that in many schools, after students complete their final exams, they often spend a year (or more) at home before being called up for National Youth Service. The amount they spend at home is more than the SECURITY & INFRASTRUCTURE Levy they appear to be talking about at AE-FUNAI. In many schools, you go doing what they call RECONCILLIATION after your final year exams, and it involves looking for your results from various departments and paying somebody or some persons to help you trace some of them in order to have Exams and Records build a composite result for you. It costs money in tips, transportation, feeding, etc which is far beyond what AE-FUNAI parents committed by themselves, for themselves to pay on behalf of their children and wards for Security & Infrastructure Levy. Parents are comfortable paying their own levy because they are certain that the rest of the process runs well. Handouts are not forced on their children, there is no record of 'sorting', sexual exploitation is a rarity. What you see is what you get.

THEY DON'T HAVE THE INTEREST OF AE-FUNAI STUDENTS AT HEART
Whatever the meaning of the NANS "ultimatum", it will be a great disservice to final year students of AE-FUNAI (who can speak far better English and script far more coherent communiques) if they are harassed and prevented from their external examinations. The corollary is that for the first time in history, AE-FUNAI graduates will not be called-up for National Youth Service in the year of their graduation. Another possibility is that the NANS Ebonyi Chapter executive which is peopled by persons outside AE-FUNAI will disrupt the on-going second semester examinations and students may have their 2017/18 second semester possibly finishing later in 2018 and they would thus be on their ways to spending 5 years for 4-year courses. None of these options is funny. One trusts that AE-FUNAI students will not allow themselves to fall into the trap of students of institutions that have a lax academic calendar.

Meanwhile, it is interesting to note the schools from which the Ebonyi NANS leaders signed their Release: Ebonyi State University (SUG President, Comrade Anyigor Julius), Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo (EBSCOEI SUG President, Comrade Nwankwo Anayor), Federal College of Agriculture, Isiagu (FCA IShiagu SUG President, Comrade Oshim Lawrence), and Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana (AIFP Unwana SUG President). I daresay that the quality of that Communique is an embarrassment to those three institutions. Their VC, Rector, and Provost need to do something about the quality of their students.
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Indeed, you have put up a good defence for the management. Now deal with it