FUOYE shut over “no school fees, no examination’’ protest

The management of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has closed down the institution following Monday’s protest by students rejecting its “no school fees, no examination’’ directive.

The university’s Acting-Registrar, Mrs Oyeyimika Fasakin, said in a statement issued in Oye-Ekiti on Tuesday that the measure became necessary to forestall breakdown of law and order.

“In view of the students’ alleged plan to continue to cripple academic and administrative activities on the campus with a planned music jamboree on Tuesday, the management has decided to shut down the institution for now to forestall possible breakdown of law and order,” Fasakin said.

The acting-registrar, who said the university was sensitive to the plight of the students, disclosed that the institution before the protest had given a three-day lecture-free period for the students to complete their registration processes.

Reacting to the development, the Public Relations Officer of the Students Union Government, Bolu Adeniyi, confirmed the closure of the institution to give room for dialogue.

“A meeting has been slated for later today (Tuesday) between the university’s management and the student union executives which I hope will bring a lasting solution to the situation,’’ he said.

The spokesman of the university, Mr Godfrey Badji, on his part, said the closure would provide an opportunity for students with bank-drafts to change them to receipts.

Recall that students of FUOYE on Monday had protested the `no school fees, no examination” directive by obstructing traffic on the busy Oye-Ikole highway before moving to the main gate of the institution to continue the protest.