Students of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Monday, shut the school gate and disrupted the ongoing examination in protest against an “outrageous fees.”

The aggrieved students in collaboration with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ogun Axis, paralysed academic activities over increment of school and acceptance fees.

In their hundreds, the students as early as 6am on Monday barricaded the gates leading into the polytechnic, preventing entry and exit from the school.

They also disrupted the ongoing second semester examination from holding as other students coming for the exams met the entrance under lock and keys.

The protesting students, singing solidarity songs, carried placards with various inscriptions like ‘We no be rich kids, na why we come MAPOLY’, ‘#Say No To Unreasonable Increment Now !!!’, etc.

Addressing journalists, the Chairman of NANS in the State, Damilola Kehinde, insisted on the complete reversal of the increments and introduction of new fees in the school, as a condition to end the protest.

The students also demanded investigation of the management of the institution for alleged misappropriation and mismanagement of funds in the school.

The statement reads in part, “We are disheartened to converge here today, not for celebration but to decry the suffering and panic the management of the MAPOLY has subjected us to as students.

“Our offense as Nigerian students is that we want to be educated and the Dr Adeoye Odedeji led management of MAPOLY is saying education is not for the poor.

“Few months ago in the last academic session, tuition fee for both ND and HND students was increased including part time students whose figure is not accurately given.

“We resisted this increment and came to a benchmark of reduction in the initially added amount after due consultation.

“The clear promise made to the students’ body by this same Dr Odedeji and other members of the management team is that there will no longer be increment. At least, not in his own time as the Ag. Rector.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Friday called off its eight-month-old strike.

However, the union in a press statement made available to MAIDAWAAREWA noted that the issues in its disputes with the Federal Government were not well addressed.

The press release, which was signed by the National President of the union, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, however, hailed the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The statement partly read, “ The National Executive Council of ASUU held an emergency meeting at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja, on Thursday, October 13, 2022”.

The union in its statement further noted that the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Chris Ngige, took the striking lecturers to court.

“The National Industrial Court, in its wisdom, gave an order compelling ASUU to resume work pending the determination of the substantive suit. Given the nature of the order, and in the opinion of our counsel, there was the need to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our union at the Court of Appeal.

“The Court of Appeal acknowledged the validity of the grounds of the union’s appeal but still upheld the order of the lower court and ordered our union to comply with the ruling of the lower court as condition precedent for the appeal to be heard.

“NEC noted the series of meetings with the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as intervention efforts of other well-meaning Nigerians both within and outside the government and the progress made so far.”

Speaking further on the status of negotiations, the union said, “While appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who waded into the matter, NEC noted with regrets that the issues in dispute were yet to be satisfactorily addressed.

“However, as a law-abiding union and in deference to appeals by President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of Hon. Gbajabiamila, and other well-meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on February 14, 2022. Consequently, all members of ASUU are hereby directed to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, October 14, 2022.”