Students of Lagos State University, LASU, on Thursday
stormed the office of Governor Babatunde Fashola at Alausa, Ikeja, and said
they would not return home until their school fees were reduced and all their
arrested colleagues are released unconditionally.
The students, who arrived at the office at about 3pm in over
10 buses, came along with mats, mosquito nets and cooking pots, among others.
To show their seriousness, the female students quickly swung
into action, setting up firewoods to prepare beans near the entrance of the
Governor’s Office.
The students also defied a downpour that threatened their
demonstration, as they danced to solidarity songs and held mid-day prayers to
seek divine intervention…
In a letter to Gov. Fashola, titled, ‘Save our future’, the students alleged that the tuition hike had taken education beyond their reach.
President of the LASU Student Union Government, Mr. Yusuf
Nurudeen, said the students had resolved to fight their cause until their
demands were met by the government.
He said, “Our school has been shut down. Students are
dropping out of the university on a daily basis. We decided not to engage the
party leaders because the people in government do not understand any language.
The only language they understand is protest.
“We have resolved to fight this struggle by ourselves. We
are a pressure group in the country. We can do this alone. We do not want any
person to fight for us. We elected Governor Fashola. We elected all the members
of the House of Assembly. They must listen to us.
“Fashola promised us a ‘Better Rewarding Future’. How can we
have a rewarding future without
education? He has
denied us education by the tuition hike. Section 3(1) of the law that
established LASU
stated that the
university should be made available for all people irrespective of their
socio-economic
background and status. Now, the governor has made LASU the University
of the Rich.
“We will not leave until we hear something from the
government. We have gone everywhere and the police shot at us. That is why we
decided to come here today and tell the governor what is on our minds. Also,
our colleagues arrested by the police must be released unconditionally.
“If the governor refuses to come out, we will remain here
until he comes out. If the governor can respond to issues that are less
important than this, he should come out and respond to the students of the
state he governs.”
Anyway, the good news is that the commissioners for
Information and Strategy, Aderemi Ibirogba, has said the government may be able
to reach a conclusion on the fees by June 9. Continue reading after the cut.
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