Pandemonium as Osun students protest increase in tuition fees

Osun Students storm the street over hike in tuition fees.

Pandemonium broke out in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, after students from various institutions in the state protested over a hike in their tuition fees, thereby, causing gridlock along Gbongan-Ibadan road.

Naija News gathered that the protest which began as peaceful later turned violent after the security operatives used teargas canisters to disperse the students. The students, therefore, overpowered the security operatives at the entrance of the state secretariat which was blocked for several hours.

Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Information, Mr Adelani Baderinwa in a statement described the tuition fees increment as false.

He advised the students to “handle their reservations for increase in some fees payable in their institutions with maturity, sense of responsibility and reality of the situation at hand”.

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“Government put it on record that it has not authorized any increment in the tuition fees in all the state owned tertiary institutions and that only ancillary fees were increased by institutions authorities based on some considerations.

“As at today, the tuition fees of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and the College of Technology, Esa-Oke remain N25,000 while that of Osun state College of Education, Ilesa and Ila-Orangun isstill N20, 000”.

“It is pertinent to remind the people that the Aregbesola government, at its inception and without being persuaded in 2011 reduced the tuition fees of all the state owned tertiary institutions from N45, 000 to N25, 000. Since the reduction in 2011, the government has not put a penny on the tuition fees”.

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“Government wishes to state that the managements of the tertiary institutions are at liberty to fix extraneous fees and are responsible for its regulations; it insists that tuition fees are yet to be increased. Government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola reiterates its commitment to promoting functional and affordable education,the manifestation of which is the improvement in the standard of education in the state”.

“The government called on the students to be peaceful and orderly on their protest. It is true that protest is legitimate but they should not be allowed to be hijacked by miscreants and political jobbers”.