The Ondo State University students staged a confrontational protest against the administration of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu over the astronomical increase in their tuition fees and called for immediate reversal.
The students who were mostly from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akugba Akoko and Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa trooped out to the streets of Akure in their numbers.
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The protest was in defiance of the order issued by the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to the students.
Governor Akeredolu had threatened to ‘flush out” students who dared to protest against the tuition hike by using security agencies.
Akeredolu made the threat when the embattled President of National Association of Nigeria Students, Mr Bamidele Danielson Akpan, visited the governor in his office to agitate for a reduction in the increased fee.
On Tuesday, the angry students defied the order and paralyzed every business and commercial activity on the popular Oba Adesida road in Akure.
They prevented movement and easy flow of traffic on the same axis including other adjoining streets as they chanted heavy solidarity song calling the government unprintable names.
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Carrying placards bearing different inscriptions, such as: “Akeredolu Must Resign”; “Reduce Our Tuition Now”; “No To 250k Reduce Or Resign”; “No To Hike To Or Increment”; “Education Must Be Free”, the students said that education must be made affordable in government-owned institutions in Ondo state.
Speaking, Oluwafisayomi Abimbola, a student leader from Ondo State University of Science & Technology, said the students had all resolved to kick against the obnoxious hike in the tuition of state’s universities.
Comrade Abimbola who addressed journalists during the protest noted that the increase in their tuition was to further impoverish their parents stressing that they cannot pay the new fees.
“We are here to protest against the hike in our school fee from N70,000 to N250,000 and we are saying total No to this obnoxious increment.
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“We are saying our parents cannot afford it, they are civil servants and they earn peanut as salaries.
“The government is not even paying the salary as at when due. Imagine, we don’t have infrastructures in our schools and no lecture classes too.
“And yet they want us (students) to pay such huge amount of money as tuition and there is no subvention released to upgrade the system.
“At Ondo State University of Science and Technology in Okitipupa, we are really suffering and they want us and our parents to pay. We say No.
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“It is unfortunate that the only thing the government of Rotimi Akeredolu could think of at this time is renamed our university but we say No to it,” he said.
Samuel Adesomoju, the President of the Students Union Government (SUG) of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, condemned the hike in the tuition of the institution.
Comrade Adesomoju described the astronomical increment as ‘satanic’ noting that the entire students in the Ondo state government own school would continue to be on the streets until their school fee is reduced.
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“Already, they have closed down the two institutions in Akugba and the one in Okitipupa but we too have resolved that until they reduced the fee (tuition) we shall continue to be on these streets and agitate for our right.
“We say No to fee hike and we want to promise the government that we shall come back here on the street tomorrow if they failed to listen to our demand. Let them bring soldiers, we shall await them here” he said.
Addressing the protesting students, the Deji of Akure kingdom, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, said the students have the right to protest but pleaded with them not to take the law into their own hands.
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Oba Aladetoyinbo who spoke through his Chief of Staff (COS), Mr Toyin Aladetoyinbo, said he would take time to meet with the governor on the demands of the students over the reduction in their tuition.
www.sojworld.com (c) May 21, 2019
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