Students at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Abeokuta, Ogun State, staged a protest at the school gate on Monday to express their discontent with various issues, including a recent increase in acceptance fees for newly admitted students.
Gathering as early as 7 a.m., the students brandished placards bearing slogans such as #No To Increment of Tuition Fee, #Rector Must Go, and #Release our Result ASAP. The police were also present at the scene to monitor the demonstration.
Among the grievances voiced by the students were the delayed release of academic results, a shortage of staff, and the hike in acceptance fees for incoming students.
The Students Union Governor, Babatunde Adelola, explained that the institution cited insufficient subsidies from the state government as the reason for raising the acceptance fee from N35,000 to N50,500.
Adelola highlighted the detrimental impact of delayed result releases on students’ academic performance, as it often took up to a year for semester results to be published.
He also mentioned that attempts to engage in dialogue with the polytechnic’s Rector, Adeoye Odedeji, had been unsuccessful due to his unavailability.
The protesting students demanded the immediate reversal of the fee increase and the prompt release of outstanding results.
They expressed concern that the acceptance fee hike might pave the way for future increases in tuition fees if not resisted.
The institution’s Public Relations Officer, Yemi Ajibola, asserted that the students had not officially communicated their grievances to the school management, making it challenging to address their concerns.
Ajibola encouraged the students to formally present their grievances to facilitate a constructive response from the institution.
