Students of the University of
Port Harcourt have protested against what they described as the high-handedness
of the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ndowa Lale.
The students, in their thousands,
took to the streets of Port Harcourt to kick against the alleged rigid attitude
of Lale towards the payment of tuition fees.
Some of the students who spoke with
newsmen on the condition of anonymity decried the the VC’s refusal to approve
access to the institutions Internet portal to enable students pay their fees.
The students said the VC had
turned a blind eye to the economic situation of the country which had deprived
many students opportunity to pay their fees.
They called on the Federal and
the Rivers state government to prevail on the VC and the Governing Board of the
institution to avoid another round of violent protests by ordering the opening
of the school’s tuition payment portal.
One of the students simply
identified as Martha said, “We do not know whether Lale is not a citizen of
this country for him not to understand that things are difficult for many
people.
“I have paid my fees but many of class mates
are yet to pay because of the recession that is affecting everybody.
“We cannot accept this
victimization. All hands are not equal. UNIPORT is the only school that closes
portal while other institutions leave it open for students to pay anytime they
have money. This VC has destroyed this school.”
Another student said, “This VC is
behaving like the Pharaoh that persecuted Israelite. We have begged him but he
has refused to listen.
“How can he say those who did not
pay school fees in first semester will have automatic carry overs? Many parents
are finding it hard to pay their children’s school fees because of what is
happening in the country now.
“We have begged and begged but he
will never listen, so we are calling on he Federal government to talk to him to
open the portal or they should just remove him. Things have not been normal
since Prof. Lale became the VC of the this school.”
It could be recalled that a
similar action by the VC sparked a violent protest in the institution, that led
to the killing of a final year student.
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com