Students of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources
Effurun (FUPRE), Delta State, allegedly protesting an increase
in fees by the university authorities on Monday barricaded
the Warri end of the strategic East-West Road.

Although the protest was meant to be as peaceful as
possible and without unduly disrupting social and economic
activities of residents, the protesters later created barriers
on the busy highway connecting Delta with most South-South
states of Nigeria through the oil city of Warri.

THISDAY learnt that the resort to barricading the Warri/
Effurun-Ughelli portion of the East-West Road following
breakdown of negotiations between the FUPRE management
and representatives of the students.

The students claimed that under the new arrangement, the
FUPRE authorities have directed old students of the
institution to pay N55,000 as against N26,400 charged
previously.

Similarly, the charge for freshers has been jacked up to
N90,000 from the N46,000 fresh students paid in the past.
The students further said several other charges have also
bee increased by the school authorities, including
"Acceptance Fee" and "Hostel Fee", which the authorities
claimed were meant to "develop the institution."

The placard-bearing students said that they wanted to alert
members of the public to the seeming commencement of
the process to commercialize education at the nation's first
specialized petroleum resources university, stressing that
they could not afford the new fees of charges.

The students also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to
intervene in the interest of the institution, saying the sudden
increase announced by FUPRE might be politically motivated
and intended to create fresh crisis for the Jonathan
administration at this critical election.

www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fupre-students-protest-increased-fees-barricade-east-west-road/200199/