Students protest school fees increase at UNILAG

The National Association of Nigerian Students have been urged by the Lagos State Police Command to tell them of their plans for a protest at the University of Lagos today, September 6, 2023.

As a universally recognized human right, NANS had cautioned the Department of State Services not to obstruct students from expressing their freedom to protest.

Giwa Temitope, the union’s national public relations officer, claimed that the DSS’s claim on Monday that some politicians were enlisting student leaders for a violent protest against the Federal Government over socioeconomic issues was false propaganda and that the protest would proceed as scheduled.

Student Solidarity Group Against Fee Hike, a group, announced this week that it would stage a demonstration against the fee increase at the University of Lagos on September 6, 2023.

One of the leaders of the group, Femi Adeyeye, told on Tuesday that the protests would go on planned. “We’re all set, students are ready,” Adeyeye said.

Backing the move, the NANS PRO, in a statement sent to our correspondent on Tuesday, said the student body would be storming UNILAG for the protest, urging the DSS not to infringe on the rights of students.

Giwa said, “It is quite embarrassing that the DSS has derailed to become the propaganda arm of the Federal Government, thereby, raising false alarms and even interfering in affairs that do not in any way relate to their line of profession.

“As an association, we maintain that we are not satisfied with how the Nigerian society is being run, most especially, as regards arbitrary fee increment across our tertiary institutions.

“Students are therefore enjoined to come out en masse and join the protest for the immediate reversal of fee at the University of Lagos.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the protest is a fundamental human right and the command is only asking the students to inform the police so that measures can be taken. The UNILAG management increased fees in July 2023 and cited “prevailing economic realities” as the reason for the hike.

The PPRO said, “The police do not give permission to protesters. It’s their inalienable right. They are only advised to inform the police so that adequate measures can be put in place.”