By: Ade Phillips
Protests by students at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State have led to a standstill in academic activities, triggered by a 100% tuition hike announced by the institution’s management for the 2023/2024 academic session.
The revised fee schedule disclosed a significant increase from N29,000 to N131,000 for existing students and from N108,000 to N240,000 for incoming undergraduates.
The development has forced the students to shut down the campus in a peaceful protest in the early hours of Monday.
The students barricaded the roads leading into the campus, thus preventing both vehicular and human movement, including workers, from accessing the school.
The protest also caused heavy traffic jams on the Akure-Ilesha road, with some motorists forced to make a U-turn.
One of the aggrieved students, Dele Abayomi, told Peoples Gazette that the increment was disappointing.
“It is disheartening that the school management would have to increase our tuition during this period of excruciating economic downturn. How do they want our parents and sponsors to cope,” said Abayomi.
FUTA’s spokesperson, Adegbenro Adebanjo, could not be immediately reached for comments.
Leave a Reply