The Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) has unexpectedly postponed the resumption of students for the upcoming 2023/2024 academic session.
This decision as learned by Quest Times, was announced by Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo, the Director of Corporate Communication, following a statement issued on Monday in Akure, Ondo State.
The university management has also instructed all current students residing on campus and in hostels to vacate within 24 hours.
Furthermore, the registration and fee payment process, originally set to kick off on Monday, has been temporarily halted.
The sudden delay follows a peaceful protest organized by FUTA students, expressing dissatisfaction with what they claim is an unjustified increase in school fees amidst the prevailing economic challenges in the country.
Addressing the demonstrators, the President of the FUTA Student Union Government, Mr. Oluwasoromidayo Olayemi, appealed to the school management to reconsider the recent hike, stating that the previous fee adjustment occurred less than a year ago.
Olayemi alleged that the management had raised fees for new students to over N200,000, while returning students, initially paying N35,000, would now face fees ranging from N130,000 depending on their academic programme.
The student leader affirmed that the peaceful protest would persist until the fees are reverted.
However, the university’s spokesman countered the allegations, emphasizing that tuition remains free for all students.
He clarified that the proposed new fees are primarily associated with student-related services, influenced by the economy’s impact on goods and services provided by the university.
He explained, “Certain consumables and payments for municipal services such as electricity, water, hostel maintenance and cleaning and sundry other services are necessary. The costs of providing the services have shot up and the new charges are in response to this.”
Moreover, the spokesman assured that the university has an internal mechanism to address student concerns, including charges and fees.
He expressed confidence that consensus would be achieved through this mechanism, underscoring the commitment to maintaining free tuition for all students.