SaharaReporters had reported that the university refused to graduate Obinna from the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science for allegedly questioning how the school allocation was spent.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has warned the management of University of Benin (UNIBEN) against any victimisation attempt against a student activist, Obinna Ezechukwu, who questioned the university’s spending of its 2023 allocation.
SaharaReporters had reported that the university refused to graduate Obinna from the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science for allegedly questioning how the school allocation was spent.
The school removed Obinna's name from the list of graduating students submitted to be mobilised for the one-year mandatory national youth service organised by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Ezechukwu had condemned the recent hike in school fees by the university management for students admitted into the 2022/2023 academic session which was earlier increased the tuition to N190,000 for sciences and N170,000 for non-sciences students but brought down to N105,000 for non-sciences and N115,000 for sciences.
SaharaReporters had also reported that the school management had set up an investigative committee to probe Obinna’s case and all his activities throughout his stay in the university.
Reacting to the matter, NANS in a statement by its National Public Relations Officer, Giwa Yisa Temitope, warned against any attempt by the institution to victimise Obinna for condemning the school fees hike.
The students body further warned that any attempt to force students in UNIBEN and other schools across the country to pay the astronomical hiked school fees will be severely resisted by NANS.
The statement read, “Our attention has been called to a panel set up by the management of University of Benin against Obinna Ezechukwu for condemning the hike in tuition fee at the institution.
“It must be put on proper record that hike in tuition fee is dubious, cruel, anti-people and scandalous. As a matter of fact, the opinion expressed by Obinna against the hike in tuition fee is that of the mass of Nigerian students all over.
“And, as an association, we have already made our position known that we reject fee hike across our tertiary institutions while demanding for the proper funding of the educational sector.
“We call on the management of UNIBEN to withdraw the cases levied against Obinna in the spirit of fairness. The management of the University need not be told that a lot of students will be forced out of school with the increment in school fees that has already been announced.
“Any attempt to force the payment of this irrational and dubious school fees on the students shall be resisted and we want to state empathetically that plans are ongoing for rounds of protest against fee increment across our campuses.
“As directed by the House of Representatives, the planned increment of tuition fees must be put on hold as it will deprive the Nigerian people access to education. Already, the Nigerian people are faced with an increase in the price of PMS, devaluation of naira, increase in prices of commodities, transportation amongst others.
“The management of UNIBEN, UNILAG, UNIAbuja, UNICAL, OAU and others must stop the planned increment forthwith.
“Also, the claim that the increment is needed for improved facilities on campuses is dubious. This has always been the claim of an anti-people government. Despite the fact that there is an increment of fees in our Unity schools on the basis that it is needed for the funding of these schools, PTAs are still the ones complimenting food items in their kitchen whenever it's exhausted and also go as far as employing teaching and non-teaching staff.
“There is also the example of State Universities charging students through their noses, yet, there has been no development. As a matter of fact, they don't deliver quality education compared to federal Universities that charge low.
“The point we are driving at is that the issue of poor facilities is not a question of the amount paid but the failure of the government to fund education. The responsibility of providing facilities lies on the Federal Government and they must take full responsibility.
“We maintain that the University management must not make students carry the brunt of the failure of the government to fund education. Students must unite and fight.”