UI students begin new protest over increase in school fees

Students at the University of Ibadan in Oyo State have launched another protest against the increase in their school fees.

The demonstration began early on Friday and erupted when the institution’s governing council approved the tuition rise.

According to reports, the governing council approved the fee increase at a meeting conducted at the institution on Thursday.

This prompted the students to announce the start of the protest.

Some students who spoke with the media on Friday morning complained that their school fees had been hiked by more than a hundred percent.

The students have boycotted their classes and are going around to enforce that no classes are held until the fees are reduced.

A student from the Department of Human Nutrition, who spoke in confidence with the media due to fear of intimidation, said that students in the department paid N58,000 during the last session.

However, she was surprised when the fees were increased to N138,350 for the new session.

“In our department, Human Nutrition, during the 2022/2023 session, we paid N58,000, and now for the 2023/2024 session, we were asked to pay N138,350,” she said.

A student from the Department of Animal Science said that fees in the department had also been increased.

He added that the majority of the returning students have yet to pay the new school fees.

“In the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, we paid N70,000 for the 2022/2023 session, and now for the 2023/2024 session, it has been increased to N150,000.

“Most of us have not seen the money. We are yet to pay. The students are protesting now. We cannot attend lectures,” he said.