Peaceful Protest Aftermath: Ibadan Varsity Evicts Medical Students From Hostels
The Oasis Reporters
April 15, 2018
As a consequence of the peaceful protests embarked upon by the University of Ibadan Medical students that culminated in placards’ carrying before stakeholders meeting with university officials, 10/04/2018, students have been evicted from their residential halls by the University authorities.
They had protested recently over the astronomical increase in the modest fee of 14,000 Naira they hitherto paid for their clinical trainings to 100,000 Naira and the increment was announced less than two weeks to a much belated resumption. Wondering how their parents and guardians would be able to cope, they carried placards that demanded for a reversal or no resumption.
According to the students, accommodation fee in the hostel was raised to N40,000 per medical student and 30,000 naira for others, which contradicts the Federal Government policy that sets a N45,000 fee ceiling for all federal universities.
Seemingly embarrassed, Vice Chancellor Olayinka Idowu, a professor of geology, promptly summoned a stakeholders meeting via text messages at short notice.
With slides on large screen, Mr. Idowu showed the gathered parents and guardians in Trenchard Hall about the rot and the deteriorating condition of facilities in Nigeria’s premier University. Coupled with the fact that subventions from the country’s Universities Commission and the Federal government had declined seriously, while inflation has made them unable to cope. Rather than produce substandard graduates, they preferred to raise fees.
Unimpressed stakeholders however insisted that increments ought to have been discussed and made gradual over time.
Coming out from the hall after the meeting, stakeholders met student protesters with placards asking for a reversal or no resumption.
This comes at a time when the University racked by staff boycott of work, from the academic staff to the non academic staff Union, the University calendar is running seriously behind schedule. While other federal universities are on the verge of closing for the first semester break, the University, popularly called UI is yet to admit fresh students for the new academic year. This was to happen today, 15/04/2018, but with this new closure once again, the tentative opening of the belated academic year has been further shifted by two weeks.
With the current economic hardship in the country, the added burden will be on the students and their parents and this could lead to some students dropping out of school.
The Vice chancellor has said no, no student would drop out because he has asked university teachers and other staff to contribute 500 Naira (less than $2) monthly into a pool for assisting indigent students. How far this will go, remains largely to be seen.
Meanwhile the nation anxiously awaits a word from the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who himself is the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University.
When the son of Nigeria’s President,Yusuf Buhari was returning from medical tourism in Germany after needlessly crashing an expensive motor bike in an exuberant overspeeding that left him in a near fatal accident, the Minister of health was at the airport in an entourage to welcome the son. That singular event further went ahead to underscore the disdain government officials have for Nigeria’s health and educational sectors.
