Students at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun State, have united in their demand for the Federal Government to roll back recent tuition fee increases. The call for this reversal was made in a statement issued by Abbas Ojo, the President, and Akinboni Sunday, the General Secretary of the institution’s Students’ Union.
Last Wednesday, the university’s administration announced revisions to the fees that students would be required to pay for the upcoming academic session. This announcement prompted a strong response from the student body.
In their statement, the student leaders highlighted the importance of accessible education for national development and expressed their concern that education in Nigeria was becoming a privilege reserved for the wealthy. They stressed that education funding in the country was severely lacking, resulting in limited access to quality education, a shortage of academic resources, and financial hardships for students and their families.
The Students’ Union had previously called on the university’s management to reverse the fee hikes. They also urged financial institutions, particularly Remita, to suspend any payment from Obafemi Awolowo University until the union had an opportunity to engage with them. The union warned that branches of these institutions on the Ife and OAU campuses would face closure if their demands were not met.
In a bid to draw attention to their cause, the students further reached out to all banks, requesting that they cease accepting fee payments from OAU students until a satisfactory resolution was reached. They hinted at the possibility of suspending all campus activities and potentially expanding their protests to campuses across the country if the university authorities remained unresponsive.
The Students’ Union called on the federal government to take decisive action by addressing the fee increment issue. They proposed several measures to improve the education sector, including increasing the budget allocation for education, ensuring well-equipped and adequately staffed schools, and implementing policies to prevent arbitrary fee hikes. Additionally, they advocated for investments in lecturer training and the establishment of scholarship and financial aid programs to ease the financial burden on students and their families.
In summary, students at Obafemi Awolowo University are demanding the reversal of tuition fee increases and calling for broader reforms in the education sector to ensure accessibility and quality education for all. Their passionate plea underscores the critical role education plays in a nation’s progress and development.
