Students of Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife, Osun State on
Monday paralysed activities in the university
over hike in their fees.
The students, who assembled around 9.30 am, also locked down major buildings in the university.
Among the locked places were the Senate
building, computer building and the main entrance gate that leads to the
university campus.
OAU recently increased the charges of its
newly admitted students from N37,150 and N42,150 to N 82,400, N92,700
and N95,700 (acceptance fee inclusive), depending on faculties.
The charges of old students of the
institution were also increased from N5,300, N7,800, N10, 300 and
N12,800 per session to N19,700, N30,700 and N33,700 for different
faculties respectively.
“We have locked everywhere including the
senate building; computer building and we are presently blocking the
school gate. We are ready for the school management; we don’t care
whatever happens to them there. The VC too is around, we want them to
also feel what we are going through,” one of the protesters, identified
as Sola, said.
“Attempts by security officers to stop us
(students) from locking down the Senate and computer buildings failed.
We almost fought them too,” another protester, who declined mentioning
his name told our correspondent.
Our correspondent also gathered that Muslims among the students also turned the main road to a praying ground.
“We have instructed the Muslims among us
not to go for prayer. They prayed on the main road here. We already
supplied them with water for their ablution,” one of the protesters,
Akin, added.
Attempts to reach the Public Relations
Officer of the school failed, but the VC of OAU, Prof. Bamitale Omole,
had in a press conference, blamed inflation and sustenance of the
institutions standard for the increment.
He also explained that the university had not got the ASUU/FG funds, which the students said should be used to provide relief.
He also stated that a Special Relief
Committee had been set up to attend to indigent, but brilliant students,
adding that the increment was “inevitable.”
Source: Punch Newspaper.
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