Students of OAU Resolve to Stage Campus Shutdown in Protest of Tuition Fee Hike

“The students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, are poised to stage a campus-wide protest in response to a recent hike in school fees imposed by the university administration.

Reports indicate that the student union has rejected a recent statement released by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, which detailed a fee increase of over 300 percent for both incoming and returning students.

During a press conference held at the Ken Saro Wiwa Students’ Union Building on Monday, Abbas Akinremi, President of the Ife Students Union, stated that if negotiations are not initiated by the management, the students will begin the process of shutting down campus operations after Tuesday.

Akinremi remarked, “We have also communicated with all relevant banks to cease accepting fee payments from any student until a more satisfactory resolution is reached. Regrettably, we find ourselves running out of options and may be compelled to suspend all campus activities, starting with OAU, and extending to other federal institutions across Nigeria, as we have garnered the support of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS).”

The student leadership engaged with the administration in August upon learning of the proposed fee increase, initiating negotiations. However, they were met with resistance and the new fees were subsequently announced. The administration claimed that the Federal Government had ceased funding OAU, despite the fact that a recent release on September 15th, 2023, identified OAU as the 9th most funded university, with a budget allocation of N13.4 billion.”