Students of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti on Thursday poured to the streets to protest the N10,000 late registration fee imposed by the management of the school.
The students, who carried placards with different inscriptions and green leaves, also protested the closure of their porters, epileptic power supply in both the school and hostels and entrepreneur fee of N5,000.
The protesters, who started the protest as early as 7am, marched through the popular Adebayo Street, a distance of about four kilometres, singing anti-management songs, blocked the major roads, forcing motorists to take alternative routes.
Attempts by the students to march to the Governor’s Office was, however, disrupted by security men, led by the Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu.
However, the police were forced to tear gas the aggrieved students as they insisted on marching on the Governor’s Office.
They, however, regrouped in front of Christ School, Ado Ekiti, where Governor Ayo Fayose raced to and addressed them.
One of the students, who addressed the governor but declined to mention his name, pleaded with Fayose to come to their aid.
He said the Prof. Patrick Aina-led management of the school was making things difficult for them.
The students’ representative also asked the government to address the epileptic power supply, which he said was affecting them negatively and also stop the entrepreneur levy imposed on them.
They equally appealed that the school’s porters be re-opened.
In his response, the governor announced the immediate reversal of the late registration fee and other levies that formed the subject of their grievances.
Fayose added: “We must have a start date and a close date for registration.
“The university must be run outside politics.
“If you remove the Vice Chancellor, you are sending the university backward.
“The government must not interfere in the running of the school.
“The vice chancellor is tenure bound and we must allow the system to run its course.
“I will address the issue.”
On the issue of power outage, the governor said the government was not in charge of electricity, adding that it was being run by companies.
“But tell your landlords to pay their bills because the companies said people don’t pay their electricity bills,” he said.