FUTA Students Protest School Fees Hike

Fidelis David in Akure

Students of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, yesterday kicked against the alleged decision of the management to increase their tuition fees.

The protesters, who occupied the main gate of the institution, creating a blockade and preventing any entry and exit, insisted that the management must return to status quo ante.

Speaking with journalists, the President of FUTA Students Union, Olayemi Oluwasoromidayo, pleaded with the management of the school to maintain the previous years’ school fees.

He said: “The student body has met with the management many times but it refused to yield to our demands, so we decided to stage the protest.”

Oluwasoromidayo pointed out that the management had increased the school fees to over N200, 000  for fresh students while old students who were paying N35,000 would now pay N130, 000.

He said they would continue to stage the protest until their demands are met.

However, the management of  FUTA has shut down the institution indefinitely and ordered the indefinite postponement of resumption of students for the 2023/2024 academic session.

In a statement signed by the institution’s Director of Corporate Communication, Adegbenro Adebanjo, it directed that all students currently on campus and in hostels within the university should vacate them within 24 hours.

Besides, the management  directed that registration of returning students via the university portal and payment of fees by all returning students for the new academic session via the portal scheduled to begin on January 15 be put on hold.

According to him, “It is important to state that the university did not open the portal for registration for returning students for the new session contrary to what was being bandied in the public domain.

“On the proposed new fees and charges, they are mainly for students’ related services which are sourced from the economy. And the costs of such goods and services provided by the university for the students will certainly be impacted by costs of goods and services in the economy.

“To ensure smooth running of the university, certain consumables and payments for municipal services such as electricity, water, hostel maintenance and cleaning and sundry other services are necessary and the costs of providing the services have shot up and the new charges are in response to this.”

He added that other costs that were adjusted as a result of economic reality included medical examination for all new students, biometric ID cards, and Tertiary Institutions Students Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) administered by NHIS for students; and final year book.

The director stated further that: “It is important to say that tuition is free and no money is being charged as tuition fee. The management reiterates that tuition remains free for all students, and that it has inbuilt mechanism within the system to look into and build consensus on matters affecting students, including charges and fees. And that mechanism is working on this matter and consensus will be achieved.”