FUTO shut after students’ violent protests over rumored hike in school fees

The authorities of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) on Friday shut down the institution following violent demonstrations by students of the school over alleged increase in school fee by 45 per cent.

But the school authorities have refused to volunteer comment on the real cause of the unrest.

An eye witness account said the students’ unrest, which started in form of peaceful processions to the Vice Chancellor’s office, in the morning, later became violent when
some security personnel in charge of the office wanted to block the students.

It was learnt that the rumour about the fee hike began ever before the school vacated for the Yuletide, but was dismissed by the administration.

The students’ union leaders said they had been asking the authorities to halt any increase of the fees pending when their demands with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Francis Eze, were met.

But nothing showed that the issue could be resolved without closing the school as all roads linking the main campus had been taken over by the angry students.

The ATM machines belonging to some banks and vehicles were among assets damaged, alongside other property.

An aide to the VC said there was no other way to guarantee peace in the University than to ask the students to vacate.

In a statement sighed by one Mr. A. O. Anaele, for the Vice Chancellor, all students were given up to 4 pm on Friday to vacate the school premises.

According to the students, with the new fees, year one students will pay N59, 500 and an acceptance fee of N20,000.

Final year students are now to pay N39, 500 from N35,000, while 300 level are to pay 49,500 from former N38,000.

“We are hearing that there are other hidden charges, which will be disclosed when one goes to pay the new fees,” lamented a final year student to Ripples Nigeria.

The students said they had been told that they would pay for the costs of the damage of private and public properties in the course of the riot, which are estimated to run into several millions of naira

 

 

 

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