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UNN students protest increase
in fees
By Chukwudi Achife
Bureau
Chief, Enugu
Students of the University of
Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State at the weekend staged a demonstration
to protest the more than 300 per cent increase in school fees by the
authorities.
The demonstration that held
simultaneously at both the Nsukka and Enugu campuses brought official and
academic activities to a halt as security men shut the main leading to
gates of the campuses.
At the Enugu campus, the
students marched into the major streets carrying green leaves and placards
some of which read: �Vacancy for new V-C, apply in person�, No
Nebonisation over N40, 000 fees� and �Nebo is our Nemesis�.
It was learnt that the
students started their protest within the campuses as early as 6a.m. and
had headed for the main gates only to discover that the security men had
locked them. The students then found their way out through the gates of
the university secondary and primary schools, which they also locked
behind them after they had passed into the streets.
As a result, both staff and
students on campus could not come out for several hours neither could
people outside enter the campus.
Addressing journalists, the
Speaker of the Students� Parliament, Agu Kalu Vincent, alleged that the
school authorities increased school fees from about N7,000 to between
N40,000 and N60,000, saying this would force hundreds of the students out
of school.
Kalu said the university
authorities had applied a highhanded approach to the issue by first
dissolving the students� union without any cause before introducing the
fees.
He added that the authorities
had circumvented the normal communication mode of using circulars to make
such announcements and instead forced students to download the new fees
from the Internet.
Kalu said the students union
had before its dissolution agreed in an earlier meeting with the
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chinedu Nebo, that previous fees were no longer
realistic given current economic realities.
He said, �The university had
over the years maintained a reputation as a place for the poorest
students. It has provided succor for everyone, both rich and poor.
That is what this
administration wants to change in one fell swoop and they have gone about
it in a most outrageous manner.�
Kalu said though the increases
alone would not be used to judge the new Professor Nebo led
administration, it was still indicative of �a certain lapse in wisdom� and
that whoever gave him the advise must know that �it is a foolish one�. He
said however that the students would continue their protest peacefully and
push for a negotiation of acceptable fees.
In his reaction, the President
of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Mr Tony Nwonye
said the body was in full support of the students protest noting that it
would never accept �such tyranny�. He said it was unfortunate that the UNN
which houses the national secretariat of the Union could proceed to impose
such severe hardship on students adding that this was the more reason why
the new fees will be resisted. �it is going to be total war�, he
declared.
The authorities at the
University were yet to react to the development, as at press time and
efforts to reach the Vice Chancellor and his Deputy in charge of the Enugu
campus for as well as the Public Relations Officers, for comments on the
crisis were unsuccessful.
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