Varsity students protest fees hike, poor facilities

The students of Federal University, Oye-Ekiti on Monday, staged a peaceful protest over the hike in school fees and poor facilities in the hostels.
The students were seen outside the university’s main entrance, carrying placards with various inscriptions such “Enough is Enough”, “Give us good electricity supply”.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the roads leading to the university were blocked, and the protesting students prevented staff members of the school from entering the campus.
Some of the students who spoke with NAN correspondent expressed their grievances and dissatisfaction over the hike in school fees and poor electricity supply in their hostels.
One of the students, Kolade Ibijola, said ‎the major reasons for the protest were the increase in their school fees and poor facilities in the campus.
Ibijola said: “The university management did not provide good electricity supply and water for us in the hostels.
“Hike of the school fees for the 100 level students was over N100,000 with other departmental fees. This is in spite of the fact that the university is owned by the federal government.”
He appealed to the management of the institution to reduce the tuition and other charges as a way of of reducing the heavy burden on their parents.
Another student, Folasade Owolabi, said the electricity supply to their hostels was very poor and the generators installed were not in good condition.
She said: “The management of the institution ‎refused to comply with our demands on the need to provide us with regular water supply and electricity in our hostels.” Owolabi said they intentionally embarked on peaceful protest to pass a message to the management that they are tired of suffering.
Reacting, the Dean of Students Affairs of the university, Dr Dosumu Malomo, refuted all the allegations made by the students.
Malomo said that the institution’s management was holding a meeting to curb the protest and ensure that the students resume their academic work.
He said that the supply of electricity to the university from the Benin Electricity Distribution Company was poor, but the university management provided good generators for the students’ use in their various hostels.
He said: “The generators are usually switched on for several hours and switched off later in the night.
“I wish to appeal to the students to maintain the peaceful protest and ensure that no properties and lives are lost in the course of expressing their grievances.
“The management of the institution is working toward restoring peace back to the campus.”
NAN reports that security agencies such as Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Police were on patrol within and outside the university to ensure that the protest did not turn violent.