Fed Poly Offa students protest hike in fees, compulsory hostel accommodation 

Allegations untrue – Mgt

By Matthew Denis

Hundreds of students of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa Kwara State staged a peaceful protest on Thursday over an alleged increase in school fees and compulsory hostel accommodation for new intakes.
Their other grievances included; interference of the management in Students Union Government (SUG)’s election and unnecessary charges from various departments.
The students who were seen chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with different inscriptions, occupied the main entrance of the school demanding that the school management must address the aforementioned issues.
One of the students who spoke to this medium on condition of anonymity said, “We are peaceful students and we don’t want our academic calendar disrupted. We are however fed up with the happenings in the school.
“Our tuition for final year students has been increased from N26, 000 to N30, 000 in addition to unnecessary charges from various departments.
“Also, the management is interfering with the SUG election that should have taken place last week. They want to impose their candidates on us, this we are going to resist till the end,” he said.
The source added that the school authority is mandating hostel accommodation on new intakes despite its high cost.
Responding to the allegations in his office on Friday, the Head of Public Relations and Protocol of the Polytechnic, Mr. Olayinka Iroye said, “Most of those claims are untrue. You can find out yourself, our school has the least tuition fee when compared to other Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria.
“What we did was not really an increase but marginal increase for entrepreneurship training and this money was not just added but we had a roundtable discussion and agreement with the immediate past SUG. We haven’t added anything to the school fees for about 10 years now.
“As regards the hostel, like in other institutions, new students are to be accommodated in the hostels. Most of our departments have been relocated to the permanent site and we have shortage of buses to convey students to the permanent site, therefore we want the new students to be accommodated in the hostels to avoid being duped by fraudulent elements in the name of seeking for accommodation.
“We just have about 1,040 bed spaces and the intention is as you pay for the hostel, you will be accommodated and once the spaces are occupied, that is all.
Speaking further, he denied the claim that the school authority is frustrating the election of new SUG because they have a seamless arrangement for the election to be e- voting.
He also debunked alleged extortion by various departments saying there is no departmental due that is more than N1, 000 per semester.
“I can confidentially tell you most of the acclaimed students causing troubles are not our students but former students and bad boys around.
“I want to advice the students ahead of the 2019 general elections to concentrate on their academic pursuit instead of allowing themselves to be used as political thugs.”