FUTO Students Protest Over School Fees Hike

As at about 6am, the very peaceful,
but now aggrieved Students of the
prestigious FEDERAL UNIVERSITY
OF TECHNOLOGY OWERRI (FUTO)
has stormed the streets of FUTO
and environs, on a peaceful protest,
against the undeserved and unjust
policies being mated out on the
students recently.
According to one of the protester
who pleaded anonymity, the FUTO
SUG has been compromised as they
are not doing their job. He further
added that due to the economic
recession currently happening in the
Country, the increase in school fees
was totally unfair and unacceptable.
“Every new session in FUTO, one
unexplained policy, will emanate
from the management, in a bid to
intimidate NIGERIAN STUDENTS and
force money out of students
pockets. They Come with the NO
PAYMENT, NO EXAMS mandate,
putting fear in the mind of students
and forcing students to do whatever
they would to get the money and
pay”, one the aggrieved students
said.
According to some other protesters,
the school is currently the Federal
University with the highest school
fees. They also further stated that
the fees has been constant for
many years until the new VC came
into office.
They gave the reasons for their
grievance as follows:
1. As returning students, you cannot
have access to schools
accommodation. Unless you pay
your school fees. ( which has not
been the norm).
2. They have succeeded in
increasing school fees, by up to
40%.
3. They have over the years denied
us access to schools Wi Fi
connectivity, of which #10000 from
our school fee is tagged ICT FEE.
(Students pay for Wi-Fi, and staff
use the Wi-Fi)
4. Now, they are giving us a
mandate, to pay up our increased
school fees, on or before today,
17th February 2017 otherwise face a
penalty of 10,000 and even stand
the risk of not writing exam.
5. We are paying for transport
within school via school buses but
we haven’t seen any of such.
6. Graduates of 2016 are expected
to pay extra N5,000 for school fees.
7. Course registrations are now
tripled the price.
“Nigeria students are not happy.
FUTO students are not happy. We
have endured enough. We have been
calm and intimidated enough. We
can no longer take this. We are up
on our feet. Our sister Federal
Universities of Technology, are not
facing the same. There is a mix up
somewhere and we want to know
the reason for the mix up today”
they said.
During the protest which involved at
least 10,000 students, windows of
lecture halls were broken down,
laptops were stolen from the ICT
unit together with UPS
(Uninterrupted Power Supply) and
stabilizers, windscreens of FUTO
buses were also broken down.
Street lights in the school were also
broken and the entire school
properties were vandalized by the
angry students of the school. The
Vice Chancellor of the School, Prof.
Francis Eze fled the school premises
in fear of his life.
Plans to use the FUTO Man’O War
as well as army and police officials
proved abortive as they were out
numbered. However, the armed men
who came to bring the protest to an
end only ended up throwing tear gas
at the students which made them
even more angrier. The protest is
undoubtedly one of the biggest ever
heard of in a Federal University in
Nigeria.
Efforts made to reach the SUG
Officials as regards the issue proved
abortive as sources close to the
SUG President, Comr. Akano
Nnaemeka proved abortive. The
student law makers have planned
already to impeach the SUG
President. As of the time of filling
this report, one student by name
Comr. Ogbonna Rochas Collins
(Former SUG PRO) had been
arrested for spearheading the
protest. On the other hand, a
student was also shot on the leg.
As of 2:30pm today, students in the
hostels have been directed to leave
the hostel before 4pm. Some
analyst have already speculated that
it will cost the school management
about 30-50 million to repair all the
damages.