Students of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, have shut down the school’s campus in protest of a newly introduced N20,000 mandatory registration fee for new students amidst other fee increments.
Roads leading to the institution were also blocked as the students commenced a mass demonstration on Monday.
Peoples Gazette gathered that the registration fee, which now costs N20,000, was part of the acceptance fee, which once totalled N35,500 for preliminary registration after verifying the students’ acceptance of admission.
The school’s administration has now separated the preliminary registration from the general acceptance fee to incur a N20,000 bill on its own, at a total of N55,500.
The ‘registration fee’ was introduced as students continue to battle an earlier tuition increment in January, which spiked the school fees by N10,000 for all levels.
While the registration fee increment affects only incoming students, others also joined the demonstration to call for a more comfortable payment plan regarding the N10,000 hike that affects all students.
The students on Monday boycotted the ongoing examinations of the institution and were joined by the Ogun state chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
NANS spokesperson, Simeon Owoeye, told The Gazette that rather than explore sincere resolutions to the student’s demands, the institution is focused on infiltrating the ranks of the student union in order to quell the protests.
“We have engaged the management of the institution, and they are very dishonest. Instead of addressing the hike and listening to the cries of the students, they are trying to turn us against each other,” he said.
Mr Owoeye added that, “Students are here contrary to the antics of the management, we have a very large number. We are well over 2000, and as a matter of fact, at the peak of the protest, we had over 7000 students who came to demand their rights.
“Our demands are simple, we just need them to attend to our demands, and they should stop attempting to turn the students against themselves.”
He said the association’ position has been fair to the management and has been tabled.
“Our demands are simple. We want an immediate reversal of the N20,000 registration fee. And we will concede the N10,000 general increase on the basis that school fees payment will be split by 60-40 per cent across the two semesters in a session.
“We also demand an immediate reinstatement of the suspended Student’s Union with an election to mark the commencement of union activities. The demand is before the school’s management. We will be here every day until they agree,” he said.
MAPOLY’s official phone line was not reachable at the time of filing this report.
