By Jerry Uwah
Students of Lagos State University (LASU) yesterday blocked the busy Lagos-Abeokuta Express way in a pre-emptive protest against a 30 per cent reduction in their school fees allegedly mooted by the Lagos state government.
It took about 90 minutes for men of the Area F Command of the Nigeria Police Force to clear the road for free flow of traffic.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the welfare director, Mr. Hakeem Akinola, said the protest was a pre-emptive strike against government’s alleged
plan to reduce the fees paid by students of LASU by 30 per cent.
Akinola said the only option acceptable to the students was the sum of N45, 500 for returning students and N65, 000 for fresher students.
“We are here because of our school fees. We have heard that the state government has decided to reduce the fees by 30 per cent from what they are asking us to pay. We are telling them that the only fees we can pay are N45, 500 for returning students, while freshmen must pay N65, 000 as school fees.”
A source in Alausa, the seat of the state government, who would not want his name in print, argued that government was yet to take a decision on the matter and wondered what the students would do if government eventually reduced the fees below their proposal of N45,500 for returning students and N65, 000 for fresh students.