UI threatens to suspend students who protest against tuition fee increases

The management of the University of Ibadan in Oyo State has begun planning to impose sanctions on students who protested against the fee increase.

In a query from the University’s Dean of Student Affairs, IA Abiona, to one of the students on May 24 and circulated on X on Tuesday, the University said that protests by students against the fee increase in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor amounted to gross misconduct.

“The Department of Students Affairs has received a report from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor against you that you and three (3) other students, including an unknown person (Adeyeye Oluwafemi), disrupted the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected executives of the Students’ Union on Monday, May 13, 2024,” the request said.

It continued: “At that event, Olamide Gbadegesin lyanuoluwa, Nice Linus, Adeyeye Oluwafemi (an unknown person) and yourself carried placards with scandalous slogans against the increase in school fees.”

The school accused the students of gross misconduct and threatened them with suspension if they did not respond to the request within 48 hours.

“Their actions constitute an act of gross misconduct, particularly improper conduct in the presence of the Vice Chancellor and other members of the university administration,” the UI said.

An activist who joined the protest and was described in the inquiry as an “unknown person”, Mr. Adeyeye, accused the UI of suppressing the protesters instead of addressing the issues they raised.

He explained: “This nonsense is to be expected because our university system is run by autocrats,” Mr Adeyeye told Peoples Gazette on Tuesday when asked for his response. “It was just a peaceful protest in a hall. Very quiet until they brought security agents, dragged us out, beat us, brought heavily armed soldiers and drove us to Agodi where they detained us for four hours. Instead of addressing the issues raised by the protesters, they brought the messenger to account. But we will fight back.”

Angered by the UI’s move to penalise students protesting against a fee hike amid the country’s economic difficulties, an X user, @musediqramon, posted a copy of the request and lambasted the UI.

“The UI administration has once again gone astray. Some brave students held placards demanding that the devilish fee hike should be reversed. They were beaten, harassed, humiliated and later arrested. Now the administration has summoned them to evict them. We will resist,” he said.