Victor EzejaUNIVERSITY of Benin has agreed to remove the N20,000 late payment penalty fee it earlier slammed on students who failed to pay school fee within the stipulated time.
Students of the University on Tuesday protested against the extra charges slammed on them by management of the institution.
They said the institution’s spokesman allegedly told them to go into prostitution in order to pay their fees.
They had gathered at the school main gate on Tuesday morning, carrying placards with different inscriptions, such as ‘Madam VC wants to milk us dry’, ‘Salami wants us to do cash out’, ‘UNIBEN VC Salami is after my sanity as a student,’ and many more.
In response to the protest, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Lilian Salami, has agreed to remove the late payment penalty charge.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Registrar of the institution on Wednesday, Ademola Bobola.
Salami has ordered all students to vacate their hostels and the University premises no later than noon on Wednesday.
“The Vice-Chancellor has reviewed the agitation by a section of the students’ body on Tuesday. After due consultation and in the overall interest of the general students’ body, the Vice-Chancellor has, on behalf of the Senate, approved the closure of the University with immediate effect.
“This is based on security reports to avoid the students’ action being hijacked by hoodlums, and thereby prevent any form of breakdown of law and order within and outside the campuses of the University,” the statement read.
According to a source, from an initial N14, 000 tuition, the school management increased school fees for the 2017/2018 academic session to N41, 400.
The university management led by the Vice-Chancellor, Salami, increased tuition from N41, 400 to N45, 000 at the resumption of the ongoing academic session.
However less than a month later, tuition was again hiked with an increment of N20, 000, bringing the school fees to N65,000.
The fresh first year students were asked to pay N90,000, a sum considered to be outrageous by the students.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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