…claim untrue, says mgt
By Matthew Denis
Students of Kinsey College of Education, Fate Road, Ilorin took to the streets last Thursday to register their grievance over non-accreditation of courses of the institution by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
The students numbering over 500 locked the school gate and barricaded the entrance while others attacked vehicles of lecturers of the college leaving windscreens shattered and five of them injured in the process.
According to the aggrieved students, the management of the institution showed lackadaisical attitude towards the accreditation of courses.
It took the intervention of security agencies comprising the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and officers of the Department of State Security to calm the situation.
The police on arrival teargas the protesters in order to disperse them.
When this medium visited the school clinic shortly after the protest, the five students who sustained injuries on their heads and legs were being attended to by the health officers.
Speaking with our reporter after the protest, a Year II student, Damilola Hamzat said, the students decided to register their displeasure after a graduate of the college was denied admission by a university while trying to further her education.
She said, “One of the NCE III graduates visited the school recently to complain to the management that she wanted to secure admission into a university with her result but was told clearly that the college is not accredited, therefore she will not be admitted.
“After she registered her anger over the situation, the school authority decided to arrest the lady for claiming the school is not accredited.
“We (students) were observing what was going on and we decided that this is injustice and we’ll not leave until the school security releases her,” she stated.
She said it was the shouting on the security personnel that resulted into a riot.
Another student, Paul Olarewaju noted that the college has another campus in Kogi State where the management is at the moment processing the accreditation of courses.
“Most of us are no longer comfortable that the management have continued to collect tuition fees from us when courses of the school have not been accredited by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
“It is even more disturbing when you realise that our graduates cannot gain admission into higher institutions because of such lapses,” Olanrewaju disclosed.
Reacting, the college’s Registrar, Mr Muftau Aremu debunked non-accreditation of courses of Kinsey, stressing that the school is fully accredited by the NCCE, urging anyone with contrary opinion to come forward.
He however said the protest may have emanated from the outcome of a match between students of Osun origin and their Kogi State counterparts.
He said, “The crisis during the football match was settled amicably and the school authority took over the hospital bills of those who sustained injuries and summoned 10 students to face the disciplinary committee for illicit behaviour towards the management.
“When we summoned those students’ leaders, their colleagues were aggrieved and they decided to protest to counter the decision of the management.
“We have re-invited the students to the disciplinary committee and drastic measures will be taken tomorrow (Tuesday).”
According to the Registrar, the students that are to face the disciplinary committee are; Oseni Olaniyi Peters, Aleru Laaro Sulyman, Hassan Ismail Tunde, Abdullahi Abubakar Awodi, Isiaq AbdulRasheed and Abdulsalam Muritador. Others are, Ahmad Orelope, Olatunji Anthony, Olabode Olasunkami and Adeleke Bashir Damilola.
