Students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, including representatives from the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Ogun Axis, took to the streets to protest an alleged tuition fee increase by management.
Despite being a nonviolent protest, the majority of the students shut down the entrance to the polytechnic, disrupting the institution’s ongoing second semester exams.
Some students barred the entrance to the school grounds, preventing other students from entering to write their exams.
They complained about the claimed fee rise, even though the management had earlier blamed it on a lack of funding for the institution.
The polytechnic’s administration was accused of mismanaging and diverting funds, according to the protesting students.
Protesting students were spotted singing solidarity songs and waving placards with messages such as ‘We no be rich kids, na why we come MAPOLY’, ‘#Say No To Unreasonable Increments Now!!!’
Speaking to the media on behalf of the protesting students, the State Chairman of NANS, Damilola Kehinde, insisted on a complete reversal of the increases and the implementation of new school fees.
Kehinde said, “We resisted this increment and came to a benchmark of reduction in the initially added amount after due consultation. The clear promise made to the students’ body by Dr Odedeji and other members of the management team is that there will no longer be an increment. At least, not in his own time as the Ag. Rector.
“Little did we know that he was only waiting for the state government to confirm his appointment as substantive Rector before unveiling his anti-poor policy to make MAPOLY unaffordable for the masses.
“There was no prior consideration of the economic conditions of parents and guardians, tuition fees were increased outrageously again for two consecutive sessions. This can best be described as the highest level of discomfort any management team could think of putting the students through.
“Ordinarily we could say the lack of funds to run the institution may be the reason for increasing tuition fee as claimed by the management, but how do we reconcile the fact that the same Dr Odedeji and few of his associates are buying generators, vehicles and other properties with and through the school resources, yet diverting it to be their private properties.”
