Photo caption: University of Ibadan front gate
Students of the University of Ibadan in Oyo State, on Friday, staged a peaceful protest over tuition hikes by the management of the institution.
The students, who, during the protest, carried different placards with inscriptions such as, “We Say No Tuition Hikes,” “The Management Is Insensitive To Our Plights,” “Our Parents Cannot Afford The New Hikes,” blocked roads leading to the campus.
The PUNCH observed that the blocking of the main entrance of the institution forced many people to trek long distances to navigate their destinations.
The students decried the tuition hikes by the management, noting the prevailing economic situation in the country.
The governing council, on Thursday, approved the fee increase.
The students insisted that academic activity would be put on hold until the management rescind its decision.
A student from the Department of Human Nutrition, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said students in the department paid N58,000 last session.
“During the 2022/2023 session, we paid N58,000, and now for the 2023/2024 session, we were asked to pay N138,35,” She lamented.
A student from the Department of Animal Science, who also spoke anonymously for fear of victimisation, said fees in the department had also been increased.
“In the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, we paid N70,000 for the 2022/2023 session, and now for the 2023/2024 session, it has been increased to N150,000.
“Most of us have not seen the money. We are yet to pay. The students are protesting now. We cannot attend lectures,” He said.
