Nigerian University Students Protest Fees Increase  …Disrupt exams

Nigerian University Students Protest Fees Increase

 …Disrupt exams

   Students of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia, on Tuesday

shut down activities of the university and businesses along the campus in Protest against the hike in tuition fees by the management.

The aggrieved students paraded placards which some of them read, ,“VC Iwe, reverse our school fees now, Say no to extortion, Allow us to write our examinations’.

It was gathered that the angry students, besieged different halls in the university and drove away those writing their first semester examinations.

The students who also took the law into their hands, destroyed window glasses and other property at the university Senate Building, secretariat of the Students Union Government (SUG), library, microfinance bank, main gate, barricaded the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road particularly the university main gate, thereby disrupted movement.

The police in quick move  disperse the protesters with tear gas and gunshots into the air.

Some of the students, who spoke and do not want their name mentioned, said they were protesting against the insensitivity of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe, and his management towards the plight of the students.

“We started our first semester examination yesterday (Monday) and the vice chancellor came to the hall and sent out those who have not paid their schools fees.

“They increased our schools fees twice in 2023; some of us were paying about N50, 000, but it is now between N120, 000 and N150, 000.

“The vice chancellor insisted that students must pay it at once, even when we begged them to allow us pay in two installments for the two semesters,’’ a protesting student disclosed.

Another said “Some of us were stopped from writing the examination because our names were yet to appear after doing our biometrics.

“The management introduced the compulsory bio-data for students this semester and it is still ongoing but they said that no student will write examination without it.

“The action of the management would make it impossible for some of the students not to graduate with their set”.

The Vice Chancellor, Nmaduabibisi Iwe and that of the SUG President, Emmanuel Chjioke could not be seen or reached as at the time of sending the report.