Students at the University of Ibadan (UI) in Oyo State, Nigeria, have taken to the streets to protest against recent increases in tuition fees and a new policy of electricity rationing on campus. The demonstration, which began on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, saw masked students blocking the main entrance to the school and gathering around the Senate Building.
The protest was organized after an emergency student meeting on Tuesday evening. A document shared among students called for a peaceful demonstration starting at 5:30 AM on Wednesday, along with a mass boycott of lectures and classes. The students are demanding a reversal of the new electricity rationing policy and a complete rollback of the recent school fee hikes.
Students, speaking anonymously, reported significant increases in tuition fees across various departments. For example, Psychology students now pay N140,000, and Political Science students about N80,000. Some departments saw fees increase to over N300,000. These hikes come when many Nigerians are already struggling with economic hardships, causing some students to consider quitting their studies.
The new electricity rationing policy, announced in a memo on July 16, limits campus power supply to just 10 hours daily—from 8 AM to 2 PM and 10 PM to 2 AM. Students argue that while this schedule benefits classroom hours, it leaves them without power in their accommodations.
In addition to the fee increases and power rationing, students pointed out other problems at the institution. They reported frequent lecture cancellations by professors and inadequate healthcare facilities, with one student saying that a single doctor is responsible for about 4,000 students. Water scarcity was also mentioned, with some students having to fetch water from private hotels on campus for bathing and laundry.
The university’s management, through Public Relations Officer Joke Akinpelu, stated that they have been meeting with student representatives to address these issues. “We just had another meeting with the students now to resolve the issue,” Akinpelu said.
The protest at UI is part of a wider trend of student unrest in Nigerian universities. Students are concerned about higher education costs going up and infrastructure getting worse. This shows ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s universities, trying to balance keeping universities running well and making sure all students can afford to study there.
As the protest continues, we do not know yet how the university or the government will respond to what the students are asking for. Whatever happens here could affect policies for universities all across Nigeria.
