Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Nigeria have demanded a 50 percent reduction in school fees and have shut down the institution’s campus gate in protest.
The students were protesting against the recent increment in school fees announced by the OAU management on September 14, 2023.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) condemned the action of the OAU management to increase the tuition fees despite the order of the Presidency and the House of Representatives not to do so.
The students have threatened to continue their protest until their demands were met with
placards 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.
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The president of the student union leader, Akinremi Ojo 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.”
Commwntimg of the protest, the public relations officer of the school, Abiodun Olarenwaju, 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.”
