Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun state have stormed the main campus of the institution to kick against a slight reduction of school fees by the management of the institution.
The Nation recalled that the management of the institution last month after an emergency meeting announced a 300 percent increment in school fees after which they reduced it slightly by 15 percent to pacify the aggrieved students.
However, the students of the institution besieged the main gate of the campus on Tuesday, October 3, around 7 a.m. with placards, chanting solidarity songs to press home their demands.
The placards they were bearing had several inscriptions that read: ‘Fee must fall’, ‘Let the poor breath’, ‘Mama Dey sell full, papa Dey tide Okada where you wan make I see 90k’, ‘You Dey whine-fee must fall’, ‘Education sector is bleeding’ amongst others.
The students barricaded the entrance of the gate thereby restricting vehicular movement from moving in and out of the school.
Speaking with the president of the student union leader, Akinremi Ojo, he disclosed that the protest was to demand a 50 percent reduction of the increased fees.
He said: “Weeks before we have threatened that we would shut down activities in the school if the management refused to yield to our demands. We have declared that this protest will continue every day until our demands are met.”
Reacting to the protest, the public relations officer of the school, Abiodun Olarenwaju, commended the peaceful protest of the school, urging them to prevent hoodlums from hijacking the demonstration.
He said: “I expected them to channel their grievances to the appropriate authorities like the federal ministry of education, finance even the Chief of staff to the president.
“We decided to reduce the initial chargeable fees when the leadership of their union persistently demanded re-negotiation, we considered and we held meetings with them and we told them the 50 percent you are asking for will not be realistic in the long run.”
“We told them that we should meet but they have youthful exuberance and of course, we are allowing them to perform adult exuberance. We’ve been here since morning we are here together, they are our children and we are their local parents and nothing spoils.”
