Amidst Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello’s school fees payment saga, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri has asked why a school domiciled in Nigeria is collecting school fees in dollars.
Recall that Bello was alleged to have paid a total of $845,852.84 from the Kogi State government’s accounts to American International School of Abuja (AISA) as tuition fees for five of his children.
Omokri in a write-up he posted on his Facebook Page, questioned if the United States will tolerate a school in America collecting fees in Naira or any other currency, calling the AISA action as ‘wrong and probably illegal’.
“The question Nigerians are not asking is why the American International School, Abuja, is collecting school fees in U.S. Dollars for a school that is domiciled in Nigeria. That is wrong, and probably illegal!
“Would the United States tolerate a school in America collecting fees in Naira or any other currency? Of course not!
“Fact-check me: Last year, the American International School, Abuja, had over 500 students. Consider the downward pressure that school is causing on the Naira if 500 students pay hundreds of thousands of dollars each as school fees annually.
“That is a bigger offence and more severe economic sabotage against Nigeria than the alleged actions of Yahaya Bello.
“If I were the Minister of Education of Nigeria, that school would have been closed, and their Directors would be receiving the same treatment meted out to Binance executive,” he said.
He asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to not only prosecute the school owners but to order the refund of all fees paid in dollars.
“If the EFCC swings to action and not only prosecutes the owners of that school, but also asks them to refund all parents who paid their fees in Dollars and ordered them to repay in Naira, it would have an immediate and positive impact on the Naira,” he said.
The EFCC two months ago stated that it has formed a Special task force to enforce laws prohibiting currency defacement and dollarization of the Nigerian economy.
The task force which was inaugurated by EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, according to the Commission, was aimed at protecting the economy from instability caused by illegal practices like invoice issuance in foreign currency and naira mutilation.
According to EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, units of the task force have been established in all EFCC zonal commands.
Oyewale said the commission has already made arrests related to foreign currency invoices and naira defacement in Lagos and Port Harcourt.
He had also noted that proprietors of private Universities and other institutions of higher learning charging fees in dollars have been invited by the Commission.