The management of Ekiti State University (EKSU) in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State has shut the institution.
This comes after students protested against late registration fees and other fees initiated forced on them by the university.
The school management had mandated the students to pay a late registration fee of N5,000 as they make payments upon resumption of activities at the varsity.
The said fee, however, did not settle well with the students, who declared it unbearable in the face of a hike in their school fees, among others.
The students lamented that the fee was a form of extortion by the school management.
It was gathered that students trooped out in masse to block the institution’s main gate, preventing both their colleagues and lecturers from gaining entrance into the university.
The students who carried various inscriptions such as “review of late registration fee, among others”, were demanding a review of the late registration fee imposed on them by the school authority.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Edward Olanipekun, had on behalf of the university Senate earlier, approved the suspension of academic activities on the campus for two weeks with effect from Monday, April 10, 2023, Naija News learnt.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Head, Directorate of Information and Corporate Affairs, Bode Olofinmuagun, said all students of the university should vacate the campus premises immediately and should not be seen within the campus premises for the next two weeks.
“Parents and guardians are hereby advised to invite their wards home immediately.
“Any student found wandering around the university premises does so at his or her own risk,” he concluded.
According to Daily Post, the Students Union Government Public Relations Officer, Dotun Ogunsanya, disclosed during the protest that it is worrisome that students do not enjoy any facility in the institution, as there have been power outages both within and outside the university premises for more than five years.
Ogunsanya described the hike in fees as extortion by the school management.
In his reaction, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Ayodele Babatope, said the hike was penalty for not complying with the institution’s directive to register early for academic activities.
Prof. Babatope added that other issues raised by the students were inconsequential and manipulated.
