Again, UI Students Protest Hike In School Fees

Students of the University of Ibadan have trooped out again to protest the hike in school fees and the victimisation of student activists by the University management.

It will be recalled that the students held a peaceful protest in August and another this month insisting that the management reversed the school fees that were hiked to as high as N400,000.

At the last protest, two students were arrested by Policemen invited by the management and later released. Three students also faced the students Disciplinary Committee and are still awaiting the committee’s verdict.

In reaction to the persistent protests, the management announced a three-week break and ordered all students to vacate campus. But the students were undeterred.

During today’s protest, students converged at the school’s main gate from 8am till around 1pm and marched straight to the student’s union building where they had a mild engagement with the university’s CSO.

They carried placards containing their demands which include: “total reversal of fee hike, adequate funding of public education, and End of victimisation of UI’SDC3 and it’s trend in UI.”

Other demands include: withdrawal of all undue interferences in UI’ Student Union affairs by the management, adequate supply of electricity, and a democratic management in the University.

Olawale Olajide, one of the student leaders said: “We are protesting over the continued refusal of the management of the University of Ibadan and also the Federal government to heed to our call for total reversal of fee hike, we strongly believe the hike is unjustifiable, insensitive and unconstitutional.

“Attempts to commodify education, to reduce education to a commodity that you need to beg online or get a loan to acquire must be firmly resisted by all well meaning Nigerians. We have no hope of getting the outrageous fees and we’ll keep protesting until the Fees has fallen.”

The protesters resolve to continue the protest on Monday.

Students of the Premier university have turned to begging for money on social media as the deadline for payment draws near.

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