NO fewer than 400 graduates of the All-State College of Education, Ero, Ondo State, staged a protest, yesterday, over the institution’s failure to mobilise them for the National Youth Service National Corps, NYSC.
The college is affiliated to Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, AAUA, in the Akoko South-West area of the state.
Academic activities were shut down as the Proprietor of the institution, Fasua Oyeleye, was held up in his office for over six hours.
Oyeleye was later rescued by police detectives who were invited by the management of the institution
The protesting students barricaded the highway and insisted on a refund of their tuition fees for five years because the institution failed to mobilise them for NYSC.
Speaking with newsmen, the President of the institution’s Students Union Government, Olusola Gbenga, said: ”400 graduates are waiting to be mobilised. We now have two sets of graduates waiting to be mobilised. We protested because our school name was not on the portal of AAUA.
“The VC, who was DVC, had promised us that we would go for the NYSC programme.
“What is the purpose of going to school without NYSC? We will continue the protest until we are sure of our fate.”
When contacted, the Students Affairs Officer of the institution, Samuel Adebayo, said the school proprietor was whisked away by security operatives to avoid an attack by the students.
Adebayo said: “Mr Fasua believed the students will go for NYSC after graduation. He is helpless in this matter.
“The students shut down all academic activities. They now want their money refunded. The AAUA management should come out to clear the air on the fate of the students.”
Also speaking, the spokesperson for the University, Victor Akinpelumi, described the allegation as a fallacy.
Akinpelumi said: “The allegation is not correct. It is a fallacy. I will advise that the students channel their grievances to the Proprietor/ Registrar of Ero College of Education, Ero, for proper guidance.”
TASUED students protest tuition fee hike
In a related development, students of the Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED, Ijagun in Ogun State, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest to kick against the increment in the institution’s tuition fee.
The protesting students lamented that the fees payable by students per session had been hiked from N65,000 to N240,000.
It was gathered that the returning students, who were expecting to pay N65,000, will now pay N180,000, while fresh students are to pay N240,000 aside from other fees.
The students, who were armed with placards with various inscriptions, chanted solidarity songs and marched within the premises of the university.
In a statement by the SUG President and the Public Relations Officer, Akinjetan Hammed and Olarewaju Olawale, the students were urged to stand together and say no to the increment.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the university’s decision to increase the school fees on the portal. As the Student Union, we must advocate for the best interests of the student body.
“We firmly believe that this fee increment is unjust and places an unnecessary burden on students.
“We want to assure you that we are actively working to address this issue. We will engage in communication with the university administration to express our concerns and negotiate for a fair and affordable education.
“In the meantime, we encourage every one of you to stand together and say NO to this fee increment. We must unite as a strong and collective voice to make our concerns heard. Remember, change happens when we come together and take action. Together, we can make a difference.”
TASUED reacts
TASUED Registrar, Dapo Oke, while confirming the protest, claimed the fee increment was the “barest minimum in reality with the existing market forces.”
Oke said: “We had a peaceful student protest. They have brought their grievances to the university management and we have received their grievances. We have asked them to channel their complaints through the appropriate channel; that is through their union leaders. We are going to invite them for necessary consultation.”
