The Students Solidarity Group against Fee Hike will hold a peaceful protest against the planned hike in school fees by the University of Lagos.
The protest scheduled for September 6, 2023 which will involve all students of the University of Lagos, will attract all students based in Lagos and will be total and massive.
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According to a statement issued by Femi Adeyeye, the group’s spokesperson, the protest with #FeesMustFall, has become inevitable as the University of Lagos authorities are determined to hike its fees.
While calling on all Nigerian students to reject what they termed “unconscionable fee hikes across all campuses”, the group demanded the immediate reversal to the status quo.
The group’s statement reads: “It has become imperative to inform the public of mass protests against fee hike scheduled to start on September 6, 2023, as all Nigerian students, parents, civil society organisations, and informal workers, are set to hit the streets to say enough of untold hardship meted on us.
“Recall that in the wake of the announced fee hike poorly orchestrated by the duo of the Tinubu-led Federal Government and the UNILAG Management, we in the Students Solidarity Group Against Fee Hike engaged in a series of actions to enlighten members of the public of the dangers this anti-poor policy portends for the generality of the people.
“Our argument remains that the responsibility of funding public education cannot be shifted to poor students and their parents even in a draining economy such as this.
“We also maintain that the decision taken by the UNILAG Management, supervised by their employers, remains authoritarian, illogical and economically inconsiderate.
“It is also important to state that after engaging in a discussion, for over four weeks, the UNILAG Management has failed in its promise to reconvene the meeting with the student delegation.
“We are civil and we believe that our civility should be reciprocated with respect, especially from people saddled with the responsibility of serving the public.”
The group maintained that the social consequences of the fee hike cannot be overemphasized and that if allowed to stand, many students would drop out, as found out by a survey.
It continued: “Dreams will be shattered. The social inequality gap will be widened by this inhumane action. Those who will manage not to drop out of school will drop out of class, i.e.- they won’t stay in class, as the fee hike will push everyone to become compulsory hustlers.
“Lecturers will justifiably sell ‘hand-outs’ openly and bribes for grades will become the order of the day. Cases of sexual harassment for grades will also increase as students who do not stay in class will have to find unwholesome means to ‘excel’ academically.
“Our lecturers, some of whom are postgraduate students, including those who are sponsors (parents/guardians) to many students would not be able to afford these fees.”
According to the group, a lecturer earning a salary of N200,000, who has two children in UNILAG would be forced to pay a minimum of N1 million as obligatory and accommodation fees.
“This is to say our lecturers won’t be able to afford the service they provide. An economy where workers are paid a minimum wage of N30,000 has no business with public school fees of over N300,000.
“All these social consequences are pointing to a sharp decline in the quality of education in our schools, as against the propaganda of the government and the management.
“We say ‘No’ to the privatisation and commercialisation of education through the backdoor – the student loan scheme.
“Evidence in the past has shown that nothing progressive can come out of the fee increment. Fee hikes have been monitored over time and are anti-progressive.
“They won’t improve any standard of learning or living conditions. A very close example is the increment of accommodation fees at the College of Medicine, Idi-Araba in 2019.
“The hostel fees were increased from N23,000 to N44,500, but there was no commensurate change in the living standard of students staying in those halls of residence.
“What then is the assurance that at the new fee- 120,000, there would be any improvement? Education, especially in a developing country, must not be reduced to a profit-making venture for private profiteers.
“It is to this end, we call on every Nigerian to join the struggle for the survival of public education, to mobilise and march on the streets with us as we put an end to added suffering, starting from September 6, 2023.
“The protests will be comprehensive and total until fees are reverted. Solidarity.”