As
the demonstration embarked on by the students of the Obafemi Awolowo
University (OAU), Ile-Ife over hike in tuition fees entered its second
day on Wednesday, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has expressed
his readiness to mediate between the aggrieved students and the
management of the institution.
Undeterred
by the seeming hardline posture of the OAU management in reversing to
the old tuition fee regime, the students, numbering over 7,000, on
Wednesday stormed major streets of Ile-Ife and visited the palace of
Ooni, seeking the intervention of the traditional ruler in resolving the
imbroglio over the new tuition fees.
The
development, which paralysed social and economic activities in the
ancient city, led to traffic gridlock and trading activities in markets
were halted before the students marched to the palace of Ooni to
register their displeasure.
Oba
Sijuwade, who spoke through the Adimula of Ifewara, Oba Hezekiah
Adeniyi-Owolola, promised to prevail on the managment of the OAU to
reverse its decision on the new tuition fees, stressing that there was
need to support and encourage any measure that could enhance peace and
communal harmony in Osun State.
It
will be recalled that the students had, on Tuesday, embarked on protest
against the hike in their tuition, blocking all the major roads in the
town including the Ife/Ibadan express road.
The
president-elect of the students’ union of the university, Ibikunle
Isaac, who led the students on the protest, contended that the students
would continue with the protest until the university management
reversed to the old tuition fees completely.
Reacting
to the students’ protest over the new fees, the management of OAU, on
Wednesday argued that the newly introduced tuition fees were moderate
and considerate.
In
a press statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the
institution, Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju, OAU stated that “we deem it
necessary to inform the general public, particularly the parents and
guardians of our students that the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, has been most compassionate in taking all factors
that would enhance the teaching of sound practical academic knowledge
into consideration before arriving at the present moderate adjustment of
our charges.
“It
remains incontestible that OAU, rated the best university in Nigeria
for the third time running by the Spain-based Webometric Ranking
International had, before now, been charging what some people regarded
as ridiculous and unrealistic fees, despite maintenance of solid
academic standard which OAU is noted for all over the world.
“It
is, therefore, pertinent to state categorically the fees being paid by
our students in relation to their courses and faculties. For instance,
the total amount each of the students paid per session in the Faculties
of Administration, Arts, Education, Law and Social Sciences had been
N5,300; their counterparts in Sciences paid N7,800; those in
Agriculture, Technology, Environmental Design and Management paid
N10,300, while those in Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences,
Dentistry and Pharmacy paid N12,800. Aside the fact that more than 93
per cent of them use hot plates, boiling rings and pressing irons which
consume electricity, the accommodation fee had been N2,590 per session.
“From
the foregoing, it is now clear that the present socio-economic
situation in Nigeria has made it totally impossible for us to sustain
being the best and the cheapest in Africa. Factors like the high cost
of education, dwindling subvention from the Federal Government by over
50 per cent, astronomical inflation which has eaten deep into our meagre
resources and electricity bills are responsible for the present
adjustment of fees,” the statement added.REF: http://www.tribune.com.ng/news/news-headlines/item/5866-ooni-mediates-in-oau-students-management-crisis-over-hike-in-tuition-fees-our-fees-are-moderate-considerate-management/5866-ooni-mediates-in-oau-students-management-crisis-over-hike-in-tuition-fees-our-fees-are-moderate-considerate-management
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