Students of Federal Polytechnic, Oko have staged a peaceful protest over alleged incessant imposition of fees on them by the school management.
The protest was provoked by a recent imposition of a compulsory five thousand examination fee on the students and the insistence of the school management to deny those who have not paid the fee opportunity of writing their exams.
The students carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Reduce the cost of texts books”; “Allow us to do our medical and data capturing”; “Say no to corrupt stakeholders”; “Say no to exam fee”, among others.
The students numbering over one thousand from different departments sang solidarity songs and chants as they marched from the school main gate to the administrative building, departments, permanent site and terminated at the popular school tower to show their displeasure over the continuous increment and incessant imposition of examination and ICT fees, forceful sale of handouts to them, among others.
Addressing the students, the Secretary General, National Association of Nigeria Students, South East Zone, Comrade Cynthia Felix, appealed for calm and expressed her resolve to make sure the students are not fleeced in any way.
Stating categorically that examination fee is unlawful, Comrade Cynthia demanded a fee schedule in order to know the need for the said exam fee, even as she kicked against extortion, demanded the immediate withdrawal of the memo that introduced the fee, and that all students should be allowed to sit for their examination.
For the Vice President, National Association of Polytechnic Students, South East, Comrade Chukwuebuka Umezula, the school management on 9th of April, 2024, released a memo informing students to pay an examination fee of five thousand naira on or before 12th April, 2024 before commencement of the examination.
He condemned the short notice given and wondered why the students are mandated to pay examination fee before sitting for examination after they had paid their tuition fee.
According to Comrade Chukwuebuka, the students will continue with the protest and boycott all examinations until the school management changes its decision, adding that the students have laboured, struggled and battled to pay tuition, medical, ICT and other fees.
He said the National Association of Polytechnic Students had written the school management over the memo but got no response.
Some students who spoke to the ABS, including Kenechukwu Okafor, Merchant Jamesetta, Ifunaya Lucia and Pius Okolo, said their parents are struggling to pay their tuition fees and wondered the motive behind the imposition of more fees on them, appealing to the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene.
Reacting to the development, the Acting Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr. Chijioke Ibeziako, appealed to journalists to play down on the report and promised that the issues will be settled internally.
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