The group made the demand in a statement issued on Wednesday by Femi Adeyeye, in reaction to the ordeal of a 300-level philosophy student of the University of Lagos (Unilag) identified as Aworetan Oluwashina, who was declared missing for weeks when he went to hustle for his tuition.
The Students’ Solidarity Group Against Fee Hike has demanded the immediate indefinite suspension of ‘criminal fee hikes across unity schools, universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria’.
The group made the demand in a statement issued on Wednesday by Femi Adeyeye, in reaction to the ordeal of a 300-level philosophy student of the University of Lagos (Unilag) identified as Aworetan Oluwashina, who was declared missing for weeks when he went to hustle for his tuition.
In an interview with Segun O’Law of Objective TV, Oluwashina who initially dropped out of Olabisi Onabanjo University over a tuition hike and gained admission into the University of Lagos, said when he encountered the same problem in his new school, he was forced to go into the streets of Lagos to hustle for his tuition.
Adeyeye said that in the wake of the “criminal” fee hikes announced across unity schools, universities and other tertiary institutions, the group warned that there is no student loan anywhere and even if the Nigerian government kickstarts it, it will never be accessible to the masses.
He said, “It’s just another scam packaged by the Government. The sole aim was to deceive students into accepting the full-blown commercialization of public education, with the hope that manna will drop from somewhere.
“It stabs logic in the head that a government that has money for a loan scheme will rather increase fees by over 600 per cent, instead of funding education directly.”
“How do you make life miserable for citizens and then tell them that the lie of a help that you promised has been suspended indefinitely?” he questioned.
Adeyeye lamented that many students had been dropping out of school.
According to him, at UNILAG and schools alike, many have missed exams already. He said in a class of 140 students, only about 80 sat examinations. Others are missing, just as we predicted, he said.
“Those who managed to pay half or full are under real stress of debt. See the story of Shina (Oluwashina) who went missing to find school fees.
“He’s one out of many who are still “missing” out there. Students selling items on campus are now being threatened with expulsion by the UNILAG management.
“We warned that the fee hike will turn students to compulsory hustlers and the standard of education will drop significantly. We’ve been proven very correct.
“Now that the Tinubu regime has announced the indefinite suspension of what has not started, I sincerely hope all illusions that some students have in them and the scam are now clear?
“Nigerian students. Are you ready now to “suspend” the fee hike indefinitely? It’s our generational task!” he said.