UNN students protest 100% hike in school fees

From Felix Ikem, Nsukka

Students of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) on Friday, protested the alleged 100 per cent increment in school fees by the university management. They locked the main entrance gate and other gates to the institution, preventing staff and visitors to the university from going inside or outside.

The protest, which started at the Freedom Square to the major roads, hostels, and faculty blocks on the campus, saw the protesters brandishing placards with different inscriptions such as: “100 per cent increment is outrageous and untimely”, “UNN Management return to negotiation table with SUG Executive”, “UNN & FG should compensate students for keeping us at home for 8 months because of ASUU strike”, “This increment is a deliberate attempt to deny many students from poor families access to education”, among others.

A student, who pleaded anonymity, accused the school authority of being insensitive to the plight of the students who just returned to school after eight months of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) nationwide strike, adding: “As am talking to you now, UNN has directed new students to start paying the new tuition fee.” He said the new tuition has been uploaded to students’ profiles and even incoming first-year students have started paying the new fees.

“This is happening at a time we are expecting compensation from the Federal Government and even school authorities for keeping us at home for eight months as a result of the ASUU strike,” he said.

Addressing the protesting students at Freedom Square, Mr. Michael Abuchi, the President, Students Union Government (SUG) of UNN, said, the protest was to reject the recent 100 per cent increase by school management on school fees.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charles Igwe, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages to his cellphone were not replied at the time of filing this report