By Ayomide Ogunsakin
The student union government of Obafemi Awolowo University has reacted to 300 per cent increase in the tuition fees just introduced by the school management saying the student union is working tirelessly to ensure a reverse in the increase.
The management of the University, Ile-Ife, announced new school fees for students on Wednesday, towing the line of the fee increments by other Federal Universities including UNILAG and UNILORIN with an increase of over 300%.
The new fees which are expected to take effect from the next academic session, was announced in a release by the University’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Abiodun Olanrewaju.
Olanrewaju said in the statement that the new fee adjustments were considered and approved at an emergency meeting of the University Senate held on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
The statement further revealed the following Fee Structure cut across the different faculties in the university:
Faculties of Arts, Law, and Humanities:
Freshers: N151,200, Returning Students: N89,200
Faculties of Technology and Science:
Freshers: N163,200, Returning Students: N101,200
Faculties in the College of Health Sciences and Faculty of Pharmacy:
Freshers: N190,200, Returning Students: N128,200.”
The University management also added that the adjustment in fees were only applicable for an academic session.
Thegavel.com.ng correspondent gathered that prior to this announcement, returning students in the College of Health Sciences were only required to pay #31,000, and students in the Faculties of Law, Arts and Humanities paid circa #23,000, in tuition fees over the years.
The school management, in a bid to justify this huge increase, further released the breakdown below:
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Reacting to this release, the Great Ife Students’ Union (GISU) equally released a statement jointly signed by Abbas Akinremi Ojo, Akinboni Opeyemi and Omisore Elijah — the President, Secretary General and PRO of the Union respectively.
In their statement, the GISU leadership expressed their displeasure about the sudden increment, urging other students of the university to remain calm.
The statement reads:
_Our attention has been drawn to a proposed school charge circulating. We are stating our displeasure with the management of Obafemi Awolowo University, as the Federal Government has debunked involvement in any form of increment in tuition fees._
_The leadership of the Student’s Union, privy to the incessant increment in other Federal Higher Institutions, has been working tirelessly to ensure Obafemi Awolowo University is kept out of the trending hike in fees._
_While the leadership of the union is dissatisfied with this inimical increment, we want to use this medium to address our union members and urge them to remain calm, as all hands are on deck._
The Students’ Union leadership also promised to exhaust all reasonable options that will be soothing to the students and reach out to the necessary quarters on how to rectify this situation and bring back normalcy that will be generally accepted.
In furtherance of this promise, the Union held an emergency stakeholders meeting where the following was resolved:
- There should be a total reversal of the approved increment by the school management;
- On no account should any student pay the proposed school charges even if the payment portal is activated;
- An X (Twitter) Space which held last night, to get further opinions from union members, by 9pm.
- The meeting also agreed that a physical congress should be called and held today, 14th September.
True to these resolutions, the Union held a space on X last night, from 9pm-12am, with over 1000 students in attendance deliberating on what the best moves to resolve this situation should be.
The Union also released another notice on Wednesday night, announcing the Emergency Congress to be held at the Aluta Square in the University, by 3pm today.
On the X Space, several students and members of the Union shared their views and opinions.
While many speakers on the Space were of the opinion that the only way forward is a peaceful protests, as well as a dialogue with the school management in recognition of the fact that a lot of OAU students struggled to afford the former tuition fees and paying higher would be almost impossible, some others had a more passive view — preferring that there shouldn’t be any protests so as to avoid any Strike or delay of the academic year.
Thegavel.com.ng will bring further reports developments regarding this situation.
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