Despite the ongoing ceasefire between the Ondo state government and protesting students of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, a solidarity protest was held in Lagos against the hike in tuition fees of the institution.
The protesters under the aegis of SAVE AAUA Coalition Lagos Chapter started off at Freedom park, Ojota, Lagos to condemn the about 500% hike in AAUA school fees.
In a statement signed by Tosin Adesina, an ex-students' union leader in the institution, the group asked the governing council to revert to the earlier fees being paid.
They also asked that government commit more funds to running the university.
"We condemn in strong terms the astronomical and unjustifiable hike in fees by the Rotimi Akeredolu Government. We stand by the Student Union who have demanded an immediate reversal to the status quo.
"We insist that the Government has no reason to hike tuition, it has not even been able to justify the fees it has received in the last six years. The fee hike has only exposed the irresponsibility of government towards its own institution. It has shown how government has consistently underfunded the institution.
"We insist that the new few regime is not only senseless and unaffordable, it points out to the commercialization of education which would make sure education is prized out of the reach of the poor. Already, the poor has suffered several attacks from the anti-poor policies of this government of Rotimi Akeredolu, and cannot afford to bear this again.
"We join to reject this satanic fee hike by the government and demand immediate reversal now," the statement read in part.
It would be recalled that student leaders of the institution after a meeting with Governor Akeredolu on Wednesday suspended the three-day protests to allow for dialogue between the government and the students.
"The agreement is that the protest should be suspended for now, until we reach a reasonable and amicable resolve.
"The governor has promised us that we will meet with him latest by the end of this week, that he will be meeting with the governing council tomorrow to hear their own side story. So he has promised to call us," Kunle Arosoye, Director of Campus Affairs, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, told SUNSHINE HERALD.
