Students protest school fees increase in A/Ibom, Anambra
Students of Akwa Ibom State University on Monday staged a peaceful protest against increase in school fees.
The protest which brought academic activities in the Ikot Akpaden campus of the institution in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area to a halt was as a result of over 75 per cent increase in the school fees announced for the fresh students in the 2020/2021 academic year.
It was learnt that with the fee hike, new students who are from Akwa Ibom State would pay N90, 000 from the initial N53, 000, while non-indigenes are to now pay N120, 000.
All returning students that are indigenes are to pay N53, 000, while the non-indigenes will pay N73, 000.
The protesting students were said to have blocked the main entrance of the institution at Ikot Akpaden campus but did not molest or prevent students or lecturers from entering the school premises.
The protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as ‘NANS demands immediate reversal of schools fee’, ‘#OccupyAKSU, mother of all protest’ among others.
One of the students who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was unfair for the University authorities to increase school fees with the prevailing harsh economic realities in the country.
He said the students would resist every attempt to increase school fees at any given opportunity.
Efforts to speak with the institution’s Director of
Information, Mr Akaniyene Ibanga, were unsuccessful as he failed to pick his phone calls.
Similarly, students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State on Monday staged a peaceful protest over alleged hike in school fees by the university authorities.
The students, who marched round the school environment with placards, blocked a portion of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway to register their displeasure.
The institution, through its Acting Head, Information and Public Relations, Chika Ene, had last Saturday denied an alleged increase in school fees of returning students of the institution for the 2020/2021 academic session.
She urged students, staff and the public to disregard the report, saying that it was targeted at causing unrest and destabilizing the peace being enjoyed in the University.
During the protest, the students insisted that the increment was true, noting that the university management had connived with the Student Union Government (SUG) to hike the school fee.
One of the students, who preferred anonymity, said they decided to embark on the protest because they could not bear the increment any longer.
“When they increased the fees to over N50, 000 last year, we were asked through the SUG executive to bear with the school and promised to revert to the initial fee of N26,000.
“But to our greatest surprise, instead of asking us to pay the old fees as promised, we saw additional amount to what we paid last year,” he said.
While speaking, State Chairman of National
Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Peter Onyenweife, assured the students that his executive would never be a party to any form of increment.
He appealed to the students to ensure the protest was peaceful and within the confines of the campus environment.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Fedrick Odibo, who latter addressed the students on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone, said institution’s fees structure had been brought down, while discussion with the students union government was still ongoing.
The Dean, Students Affairs, Prof. Nonso Achebe, on his own, called on the students to suspend the protests with a promise to organise a town hall meeting with the Vice Chancellor.