UNIBEN students protest tuition hike
University of Benin (UNIBEN) students on Tuesday shut down academic activities at the university as they occupied the gate in large number to protest against a hike in their tuition fees.
The students, who alleged that the institution’s spokesman told them to go into prostitution to pay their fees, gathered at the school main gate, carrying placards with different inscriptions, such as ‘Madam VC wants to milk us dry’, ‘Salami wants us to do cash out’, ‘UNIBEN VC Salami is after my sanity as a student’, and many more.
UNIBEN had earlier announced that students who did not pay school fees within the stipulated time would have to pay extra charges and might have their studentship withdrawn.
The statement signed by the school public relations officer, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire had noted that “registration by all students closes on 3rd September, 2021; and after such date, students will no longer have access to the school portal.”
A clip shared only showed students in hundreds at the school main gate, with a voice underneath singing “UNIBEN students we are under pressure, Aunty Lilian please pity us.”
“The UNIBEN that we have been managing, when it gets to Aunty Lilian’s turn, she said it’s N20,000. Na Wah oo! We need help.
“Currently happening in Benin, everywhere is filled up with students Protesting for their rights.
“Students of University of Benin are very displeased with the act of their Vice Chancellor,” one of the protesters said.
According to a source, the students previously were paying ₦14,000 as tuition. It was increased in the 2017/2018 academic session by the authorities to ₦41,400.
The university management led by the Vice-Chancellor, Lilian Salami, increased again at the resumption of the ongoing academic session, the fees from ₦41,400 to ₦45,000.
However less than a month later, the fees were again hiked with an increment of ₦20,000, bringing the total fees to ₦65,000 for both students in the Arts and Sciences.
The newly admitted students are asked to pay ₦90,000, a sum considered to be outrageous by the students.
“These insensitive hikes are consistent despite the fact that students have several other fees the institution imposes on them. Some of these compulsory fees include: Faculty dues, Department dues, Course registration and many more.
“The management of the institution claims it does not officially sell handouts, its lecturers coerce students to pay for same,” the source said.
Via Sahara Reporters
