Ojo, who spoke with journalists on the campus of the
university on Monday, said the management of the institution had remained
silent since it announced the new fee regime last week Wednesday.
The Student Union President said that during the last
congress of the union, it was resolved that the management should reverse the
increment in school fees, and directed all financial institutions to suspend
payment from OAU pending the time the union would write to them, otherwise,
their branches in Ife and OAU campus would be shut down.
According to him, the congress also agreed that the
university management be given a five-day ultimatum beginning from Friday to
engage the leadership of the union on the issue.
The student leader, who said the plan to shut down
activities on OAU campus would be extended to other institutions across the
country if the management refused to reverse the increment, rejected the claim
that the hike was necessitated by the Federal Government’s decision to stop
funding universities in the country.
He insisted that from available records, OAU still ranked
among the top 10 institutions in the country, receiving funds from the federal
government.
He further said, “As much as we don’t want to, we are
currently running out of options and might have to shut down all activities on
campus and progressively on all campuses throughout the country if the school
authorities remain silent on the issue.
“While the school authority’s go-to excuse for school fee
hike is that the federal government has stopped funding OAU, the recent release
dated 15th of September listed OAU as number 9 of the top 10 funded
universities with a budget allocation of N13.4bn.”
When contacted, OAU Public Relations Officer, Abiodun
Olanrewaju, urged the students to know and act within their limits.
He said, “In the first instance, we have made our intention
known to the parents, guardians, and students and it is not within the purview
of any student to shut down the university.
“They have the right to protest. It is a fundamental human
right under the Nigerian Constitution. They can demonstrate without being
vandalistic, but they should also remember that they are matriculated members
of this university.
“So, they are on matriculation oath and the student that
violates his or her matriculation oath knows what is next.
“It is not a threat. You can dictate your actions, but you
may not be able to dictate the consequences. We want the students to know and
note that inasmuch as they have youthful exuberance to exhibit and demonstrate,
they must also know their limits.
“If they want to engage the university administration, they
are free, we are open to dialogue, we are open to negotiation. We will adjust
and re-adjust.”