UNIPORT shut over students’ protest

Management of University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has announced the closure of the university for one month following the violent students’ protest over the new tuition fee policy on Monday in Port Harcourt.

Dr. Williams Wodi, UNIPORT’s Deputy Registrar (Information), made this known in a text message sent to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

According to the statement, the decision to close the school was reached during an emergency Senate meeting convened to address the students’ protest over the “no tuition fee-no-examination policy.”

“Senate has shut down the University of Port Harcourt with immediate effect.

“All students are hereby directed to vacate their hostel accommodation before 6 p.m. today (Monday), while Students’ union and all its affiliates’ bodies are suspended with immediate effect.

“The closure will last for a period of one month,” the text message read.

Wodi had earlier told NAN that the protesting students destroyed his office and Faculty of Science building.

According to him, students’ had been served several notices to pay their tuition fees before examination which was scheduled to commence on Monday.

The spokesman said that 98 per cent of the student population had complied with the no-fees-no-examination policy before the protest.