…UNIABUJA management appeals for calm
Security operatives fired shots at students of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) on Monday after they stormed the streets of the federal capital territory (FCT) in protest.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports students of the institution staged the protest at the ever-busy Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport expressway, and the main entrance to the university campus.
The students were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions kicking against alleged closure of the portal meant for the payment of school fees and others.
Oladeja Olawale, the Student Union Government (SUG) President, who led the protest said the major demands of the students included reopening and extension of the school fees portal to the end of the session.
Other demands of the students, according to Olawale, included scrapping of late registration fee, review and reduction in school fees ahead of next session and postponement of first semester examination from Feb. 8 to March 8.
The SUG President said the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport expressway would be closed with the protest continuing till all their demands were met by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah.
However, it seems the security operatives were not okay with the fact that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport expressway remained closed against traffic.
The security operatives, including men of the Nigeria Army, thereby, fired teargas canisters at the protesting students to dispel them and ease the traffic on the expressway.
It was gathered that the soldiers also used batons to pummel some of the peaceful protesting students.
Many have been reported to be injured as a result of the mayhem that ensued. However, the number of casualties is yet to be ascertained at the time of filing this report.
“The management held an emergency meeting with the Students Union on Sunday January 31, 2021 and considered their appeal”. – University’s PRO.
https://twitter.com/Mudhakkir01/status/1356317379865817091?s=19
Our Nigerian leaders will never cease to embarrass us publicly by constantly displaying their incompetence and lack of humanity in their conduct 🤦🏽♂️
These are #uniabuja students being Teargased as a response to their peaceful protest demanding to not be oppressed by the sch VC pic.twitter.com/eLEIhpdL6G
— black Votary (@black_votary) February 1, 2021
UNIABUJA management appeals for calm over students protest
Meanwhile, the management of the university has appealed to the students not to disrupt the 2019/2020 Academic Calendar, considering the amount of time already lost to strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the lockdown on Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a statement on Monday, Dr Habib Yakoob, the university’s Public Relations Officer said the institution was putting all necessary measures in place to address the issues raised.
The statement, however, said the school management was surprised that while many students were happy that they were resuming to campus after ten months, others were staging a protest.
“This morning some students blocked the main gate of the university, preventing other students and staff from gaining access to the campus.
“The students said they were demanding the reopening and extension of school fees payment portal, cancellation of late registration fee and postponement of exams till March 8, 2021.
“The university management states that following the release of 2012/2020 Academic Calendar by the Senate of the University, registration was to be done in two weeks.
“Following the expiration of this process, the university closed the portal in February 1, in-line with 2019/2020 Calendar.
“Yet after a plea from the students union, the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, in his magnanimity, twice directed the reopening of the portal to accommodate those who didn’t register on time.
“The management held an emergency meeting with the Students Union on Sunday January 31, 2021 and considered their appeal and the portal was reopened for another two weeks till February 14.
“Again late registration fee for those who had not paid their school fees and those who had paid but did not register was waved and late registration fee of N5,000, was to be refunded for those who had earlier paid.
“The university appeals to all law-abiding students not to partake in disrupting the 2019/2020 Academic Calendar, considering the amount of time lost to the strike by the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU and the lock down on COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.