Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun state, have embarked on a protest at the main campus premises.

They are protesting against the 15 per cent deduction of the hiked tuition fees by the management of the institution, as against their 50 per cent demand, The Nation reports.

Recall that the management of the institution had after an emergency meeting in September, announced a 300 per cent increment in school fees which was later reduced by 15 per cent to pacify the aggrieved students.

Unsatisfied with the slight fee reduction, the students stormed the main gate of the campus by 7 a.m. on Tuesday, displaying placards and chanting solidarity songs to press home their demands.

Their placards had inscriptions such as, ‘Fee must fall’, ‘Let the poor breath’, ‘Mama Dey sell full, papa Dey tide Okada where you wan make I see 90k’, ‘You Dey whine-fee must fall’, ‘Education sector is bleeding’, amongst others, as the aggrieved students barricaded the entrance of the gate, thereby restricting vehicular movement.

Insisting on the reduction by 50 per cent, the leader of the institution’s student union, Akinremi Ojo said, “Weeks before we have threatened that we would shut down activities in the school if the management refused to yield to our demands. We have declared that this protest will continue every day until our demands are met.”

Commending them for their peaceful demonstration, the institution’s public relations officer, Abiodun Olarenwaju, urged them to prevent hoodlums from hijacking the demonstration.

He said: “I expected them to channel their grievances to the appropriate authorities like the federal ministry of education, finance, even the Chief of staff to the president.

“We decided to reduce the initial chargeable fees when the leadership of their union persistently demanded re-negotiation, we considered and we held meetings with them and we told them the 50 per cent you are asking for will not be realistic in the long run.”

“We told them that we should meet but they have youthful exuberance and of course, we are allowing them to perform adult exuberance. We’ve been here since morning we are here together, they are our children and we are their local parents and nothing spoils,” he added.