Soldiers, Police Take Over UNN Campuses

[Sunexx360]

   Academic and non-academic activities at the University of Nigeria could not hold on Monday as a team of security agents prevented students and staff of the university from gaining entry into or leaving the premises.
   At the Enugu Campus of the university, a combined team of soldiers and mobile policeofficers barricaded the gate to stop a protestby the students against an alleged hike in school fees.
   The security personnel also cordoned off theentry and exit points in the campus, while a good number patrolled the walkways of the campus.
   The PUNCH learnt that the students started protesting within the campus very early in the morning and were about taking to the streets of Enugu metropolis to register their displeasure with the university authorities when the security operatives moved in and barricaded the gate.
   Some of the students, who pleaded anonymity, said they were protesting against the decision of the university authorities to introduce N12,000 Internet fee and other increments in the school fees.
   One of the students said, "They increased our schools fees and told us to pay N12, 000 for Internet access. Some of us are in our second year, yet we have no identity cards. Our rooms in the hostel that used to be two-man room have been increased to six-man room. Everything has been increased. Before, we were paying ICT fee, library fee and computer and now they have added Internet fee of N12,000."
   According to the students, all appeals to the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. BarthoOkolo, to consider reducing the fees were ignored. "He rather decided to increase it," the students alleged.
   A statement by the Registrar of the university, Mr. A. Okonta, however, said, "University of Nigeria management has learnt with sadness of a purported demonstration by a group of 40 students of the Enugu Campus protesting alleged increment in school fees.
   "Following a restriction and near shutdown of the service in the last academic session, various stakeholders prevailed on the University Management to reintroduce the service given the benefits to all users. The Students Union in particular led a delegation to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bartho Okolo, to make a case for the service and agreed to a minimal cost for it."
   The statement added, "University of Nigeria then introduced a service charge of N12, 000 per session as Internet Service Charge, and this translates to N1000 per month for always-on Internet service.
   The statement urged the students to sheathe their swords and canvass their case through the Students Union, departmental associations and other representative organs within the institution.                                         The Punch Newspaper

[stanley igbinoba]

why are the skool authorities always increasing the fees?