Fee hike: NANS to storm UNILAG again, issues 48 hours ultimatum

Fee hike: NANS to storm UNILAG again, issues 48 hours ultimatum

 The National Association of Nigerian Students has issued a
48-hour ultimatum for the management of the University of Lagos to reverse fee
hike in the institution.

 

NANS executive members, led by the  National Public Relations Officer, Giwa
Temitope; National Vice President, External, Akinteye Afeez; and the Deputy
Senate President, Ekundina Elvis among others, on Thursday, condemned the
arrest of students who were protesting fee hike at UNILAG Junction on
Wednesday.

 

Some of the protesters, Adeyeye
Olorunfemi, Philip Olatinwo, Aduwo Ayodele and the Giwa, among others, were
later released by the police in the evening. The security agencies had fired
teargas to disperse the students at UNILAG Junction during the protest.

 

The Lagos State Police Command had on Tuesday said the
students should inform the police of its protest plans for adequate measures to
be provided but the students kicked against this, saying protest is a
fundamental human right.

 

Addressing a press conference at the International Press
Centre, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, the student leaders said, “We want to state that
the repression that was meted out during our protest on Wednesday against the
astronomical increase in fees payable at the University of Lagos is
condemnable.”

 

According to NANS, the decision to protest the fee hike was
reached after the management of the University of Lagos allegedly failed to
meet the terms of the agreement met with the students on August 2, 2023 “where
the Vice Chancellor assured us that the fee would be reversed and reviewed
through a joint body of students and management staff of the university.”

 

When contacted for a reaction on Wednesday, the Head,
Communications Unit, UNILAG, Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, said the management was
not against lawful protest. She directed the students to channel their
grievances to the right channel.

 

“The university is not against lawful and peaceful protests
by our students. Our students, who are currently on vacation, are enjoined to
channel all grievances through the Dean, Student Affairs, who is officially
empowered to interact with students,” Alaga-Ibraheem said in a chat with our
correspondent.

 

But insisting that the student body would storm UNILAG
again, the NANS leaders said, “The management of the University of Lagos is
hereby given 48 hours ultimatum to immediately reverse the fees as agreed upon
and refund students that must have paid the astronomical fees.”

 

“Consequently, all students’ union presidents, NANS
leadership, and the Nigerian students are hereby put on notice to begin
mobilisations. We shall be hitting the UNILAG gates again. The country is
bleeding economically and education cannot be traded for illiteracy. It is our
fundamental human right to be educated. The police authority must henceforth
stop the repression of students and people’s protests. We warn all higher
education and Unity Schools never to add a kobo to the fees,” they added.

 

The UNILAG management in July 2023 increased fees from N19,000
to N190,250 for students studying medicine while for courses that require
laboratory and studio, the students were to pay N140,250. The management cited
“prevailing economic realities” as reasons.

Source: Fee hike: NANS to storm UNILAG again, issues 48 hours ultimatum

 - NigerianEye
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