Students’ Protest Forces Federal Varsity To Shutdown

Federal University In Ekiti Closes After Students Protest

Students’ Protest Forces Federal Varsity To Shutdown

The Federal University of Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has been forced to close following the protest staged by students to resist school fees payment before writing examinations.

According to a statement by the Acting Registrar of the institution, Mrs. Oyeyimika Koyejo-Fasakin, the institution took the decision to forestall a possible breakdown of law and order.

 The management said it
got information that the students had planned to continue to cripple academic and administrative activities on the campus with a planned music jamboree on Tuesday.

The enraged students began a protest on Monday morning, demanding to write examinations, in spite of failure on the part of many of them to complete payment of their school fees.

Some of the students said they resolved to protest because an earlier appeal made to the school management to allow them to write exams and complete payment later was rebuffed.

A student who craves anonymity said, “We had to protest because it appears the school management didn’t want to listen to our plight. Also, some administrative officers were preventing many of us who had completed payment and had clearance slips from writing simply because they have not laminated the slips.”

But the Acting Registrar in a statement said the management had earlier given three free lecture days for the aggrieved students to organise with their parents to complete payment of fees.

The statement said, “The University Management has noticed with concern the evolving issues which surround the students’ protest as regards the ongoing semester examinations.

“The management has responded by acceding to most of the demands which have spawned the protests.

“And as a mark of further goodwill, the Vice-Chancellor was billed to hold a meeting with the students’ representatives at 13:00 hours on Tuesday, 15th May 2018.

 “Prior to all these, management had granted a 3-day lecture free period to allow students organise with their parents and guardians as regards their fees.

“But despite all these measures of goodwill, some of the students have still decided to turn the University into a theatre for disco music and other non-academic activities which have the potential to cause a breakdown of law and order.

“It is against this background that the university has been shut down until normalcy is restored to campus.

“Please be informed that the University Management is not insensitive to the plight of students who are yet to fully pay their fees and only dialogue can resolve a matter such as this.

“Lastly, we apologise to all our law-abiding students who are having to contend with the brunt of this episode. The resumption of normal academic activities will be communicated in due course.”