Students of the University of Abuja on Monday blocked the Airport Road-Giri Junction stretch protesting hike in fees.
Students, who converged on the main gate of the university’s permanent site at about 9:am prevented visitors and lecturers and other staff of the institution from entering the school, as they turned back vehicles coming in.
The students, who sang solidarity songs, used stones and logs of wood to block both lanes of the expressway while chanting songs.
Some vehicles upon sighting the students on the highway, made u -turn while some parked, as the traffic built up.
The Director of Welfare of the Students Union Government (SUG) of the University, Frank Justice Ubeh, said the students embarked on the protest to compel the management to review downward tuition fee for medical students of the institution.
He also said students were also demanding the extension examination date which is currently slated for February 8 to March, 8, 2021.
“The reason we are demanding for extension for the examination date is that most of our students were unable to have full lectures due to COVID-19 pandemic, as their syllabus has not been covered,” he said.
The Head, University Relations, Dr Habib Yakoob, said the students were demanding the reopening and extension of school fees payment portal, cancellation of late registration fee, and postponement of exams till 8th of March 2021.
He explained that the University Management stated that following the release of 2019/2020 Academic Calendar by the Senate of the University, the registration of students was to be done in four weeks.
Following the expiration of this process, the University closed the portal in February 2020 in line with the 2019/2020 Academic Calendar.
“Yet after pleas from the students’ union, the Vice-Chancellor, in his magnanimity, twice directed the reopening, at different times, of the portal to accommodate those who didn’t register on time,” the statement read.
According to the statement, a couple of meetings were held with the students’ union in the last one week, which again demanded the re-opening of the portal.
The University administration held emergency meeting with the union at 2.00pm on Sunday 31st January 2021, and considered their appeal.
