The authorities of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka in Enugu State yesterday shut down the institution, following the vandalisation and disruption of property, including the temporary residential quarters of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Barth Okolo and some senior staff quarters of the institution by protesting students. The violent protest embarked upon by the university students was to express their displeasure over a new fees regime introduced by the university authorities.

The closure of the institution, which was contained in a statement issued yesterday evening by the Registrar, Mr. I. Okonta, directed all the students to vacate the hostels and wait until further notice.

However, when THISDAY contacted Okolo on phone, he denied any increment in school fees. He said the students who were involved in the rampage were used by some elements in the university community to cause disorder.

He maintained that he did not know where the students got the information about increment in school fees, but explained that there could not have been any increment since the university council saddled with such powers has not taken any such decision.
But THISDAY gathered that the details of the new fees’ regime, showed that school fees was increased from N25,000 to N70,000, acceptance fees from N6,000 to N25,000 and convocation fees from N6,000 to N35,000.
The protest, which was initially peaceful but turned violent in the later part however, left several persons including staff and students of the institution with injuries,

Several students were allegedly shot by anti-riot policemen drafted from the Nsukka Police Division to quell the riot.
A first year female student, Onyinye Ngwu of the Department of Nursing Sciences, who participated in the protest march was shot on her leg by the police and was rushed to the university’s medical centre, while others who reportedly sustained injuries in the incident were taken to Bishop Shanahan Hospital for treatment.

Informed sources said a delegation of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) from Enugu Campus of the university had arrived Nsukka campus on Friday to dialogue with the Vice Chancellor and the management on the development but were avoided by the Vice Chancellor, who reportedly told them that the school’s decision was irreversible.

Okolo who was in the office when the student leaders arrived reportedly told the students that he had no time for the parley after they had waited for several hours. The VC’s action was said to have provoked the students into staging a minor procession from the SUG office to the Freedom Square to express their anger over the alleged “high-handedness of the Vice Chancellor”.

The students later dispersed with a threat to take their destiny in their own hands and to make good their threat to resist the new fees at all costs. As 6 am yesterday, the Students Union leaders started mobilising their colleagues from the Zik’s Flats which serves as the female hostels. From there, the procession marched to the Vice Chancellor’s quarters.

THISDAY gathered that security men at the VC’s quarters tried to prevent the protesters from entering the premises but they were overpowered by the rampaging students who ransacked all the rooms, carted away some of the personal effects of Professor Okolo and damaged all the vehicles parked on the premises before policemen could intervene.

Sources said the students while raining abuses on the Vice Chancellor who was not present at the time, vowed to “make things difficult for him in the university since he was not ready to embrace peace and dialogue in addressing the myriads of problems confronting the students” on the two campuses of the university.

After hours of shooting by the anti-riot policemen to disperse the students within the campus yesterday, they (students) took to the streets of Nsukka burning tyres and in the process damaged some vehicles.
Thousands of residents trooped out to hail the students as they marched through major roads in the town shouting “Okolo must go”.

Having successfully barricaded the Adani road and Obollo-Affor road, the students who were joined by hoodlums from motor-parks in the town, marched from Nsukka town up to Opi Junction of the 9th Mile-Oturkpo Highway, where they blocked the road disrupting vehicular movement for some minutes before they were confronted by mobile policemen and soldiers at the checkpoint.

Reports said several students were arrested but the police spokesman for Enugu Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the incident yesterday said he was yet to ascertain the exact number of people arrested.
He, however, said necessary measures had been taken to ensure that normalcy returned to the town.

link: http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=164366

This crisis if not settled on time could be disastrous!! A warning to othe VC's planning to hike fees

When will all this igbo men stop all this money like behaviour

I knew it will definitely get to this. The man has been running that school as if it belonged to his father. So much for university autonomy! I just feel pity for those still in that school. Even getting admission into College of medicine now is a case of the highest bidder. I wonder why he cannot take a leaf from his predecessor Prof Nebo.

Who is the new VC?

His name is Prof. Barth Okolo.

Nigerian students should give themselves some brain!!!

With wot am hearing,d action is still on till now. According to my junior bro,there was some shooting by police inside d school and students were arrested in large numbers this morning. The new V.C has just stayed a few months and has lost popularity in d school. Everybody complaining,students n lecturers. I had expected this earlier. The man is such a bad leader. He's an id.i.ot

I wonder when we will all leran in this country. if students because of hike in school fees destroyed and vandalised properties, it is the same students that will stay at home idle and come back to pay damages when the school is finally re-opened.

It happened to me when i was in Unilag and we were made to pay through our nose for damages. we even signed an undertaken to be of good behaviour.

we will not learn in this country.

@ Ogetogeo (m) “When THISDAY contacted Okolo [UNN’s Registrar] on phone, he denied any increment in school fees, But THISDAY gathered that the details of the new fees’ regime, showed that school fees was increased from N25,000 to N70,000, acceptance fees from  N6,000 to N25,000 and convocation fees from N6,000 to N35,000.”

The question which continuously puzzles me is this: Why do we have liars and dishonest people at the helms of affairs in Nigeria’s public institutions? The Registrar should simply have declined comments rather than tell lies. He is unfit to occupy that position. Because, if he could lied about this type of case, he cannot honestly discharge his duties particularly when it comes to matters relating to admissions and students’ grades, to mention just two important roles attached to his office. This is a shame. In the developed world, this is enough to sack him. It’s just another example of barbaric leadership in another facet of the Nigerian society.

Now, assuming UNN, in the face of poor governmental funding, needed to increase fees so it could provide better education for its students, what's the rationale for increasing Acceptance Fees from  N6,000 to N25,000; and, Convocation Fees from N6,000 to N35,000, would the latter make graduating students collect their certificates on graduation day? This country is in serious trouble in all its facets, and until we take the bull by its horns, Nigeria will never change for good. In any case, it hasn't in the last 25 years when things have been perpetually degenerating by the second.

Youngichou:

When will all this igbo men stop all this money like behaviour

My friend Youngichou, u cant stop being a silly person. This thread is mean for people who are educated not fools like you. U are just a stupid man. Sure u are a Yoruba.

@ adeniyi334 “Nigerian students should give themselves some brain!!!“  I’m more persuaded that Nigerian leaders should give themselves some brain. UNN’s VC studied from undergrad to PhD level, the latter at Strathclyde in Glasgow through federal scholarships, now he chairs a meeting that increased fees which most parents cannot afford to pay – a situation that has led many Nigerian youths into shady lifestyles, for example prostitution, etc. Don’t misunderstand me, you don’t have to embark on shady lifestyle due to this sort of thing, and it’s no justification for such a lifestyle, but the reality is hardship has forced many students into lifestyles which they themselves aren’t proud of: lifestyles I personally abhor. Universities should device more creative ways of independently raising funds rather than make life more difficult for poor students.

@ mr igbo man am a niger deltan not a tribalistic yoruba nor a money like igbo

Hmm, this is serious. What is the way out now?

methink Adeniyi is correct. Nigerian students should give themselves some brain!!!
, They should have waited untill the official anouncement of da increament b4 they start to protest, cos now nobody knows da heck why they protested, cos, officially, there was no increament, Plain truth.

Youngichou:

@ mr igbo man am a niger deltan not a tribalistic yoruba nor a money like igbo

Which one "is  i am a niger deltan" again, is this ND meant for people that don't know their origin or what.

It is very unfortunate that Great Lions and Lionnesses have decided to take the laws into their hands AGAIN. When I heard this story, I only hissed and asked myself if history will always repeat itself. Those of us that have been through this before in "The Den" can surely predict what will happen next and it is really unfortunate.
Given, I do not in anyway support the increment of fees (at least to the degree it is being speculated), though not yet officially announced as I understand, but going on destructive demostration is against the spirit of Aluta.
The students have succeeded in making the VC and other affected lecturers rich without knowing it.
Brand new cars, New clothes, shoes and brand new housing, all from the student's pocket and the fee will still be increased.

If they had read or learnt anything from history, they would have demostrated without destroying ANYTHING, that way, their grieviances would have been made known to the authorities and school will still be in sessoon for them to continue academic studies.

We all know what will happen next and I am sad to think about it.

I Pray for peace

Is Ibori James an Igbo man?

Youngichou:

When will all this igbo men stop all this money like behaviour

u ar a fool.better shut ur mouth if u dont have anything sensible to say.

Im a Student of UNN, personally writing from Nsukka, Enugu State.
The truth's that our Nation needs sensible leadership in all ramifications. UNN's former V.C Prof. Chinedu Nebo performed excellently while in office though he too increased the school fees but he did that in a diplomatic way, consulting every necessary personnel before the increament and no one protested.
But his successor Prof. Bartho Okolo refused to follow in his footstep.
1) He was the Chairman of NUGA comitee during Nebo's regime. He ended up leaving most Sport facilities uncompleted, looting the remaining money.
2) When he assumed office Bartho immediately demolished most purportedly unapproved buildings mostly Restaurants and Computer Centres in the campus with little or no compensation to the owners, providing no single alternative for stranded students.
3) He then hiked the fees. Acceptance from N6,000- N25,000(317% increase), Convocation fees from N4,000 to N40,000(900% increase) and then school fees was about to raised to N80,000.
What sort of V.C will make students drop out inorder to allegedly develop the University, even when he schooled with a scholarship. He is arrantly arrogant, snubbing meetings with the SUG severally. Prof. Bartho is educationaly developed but in character he is found wanting lacking basic manners and common. He's simply looking for an avenue to loot public funds. Since his inception as V.C, he's been travelling from one country to another for months now.
The riots has seemed to have died down but students coming from UNEC accompanied by students from ESUT and IMT are storming Nsukka from Enugu. The Riot Police have done terribly bad using live round to shoot at protester instead of rubber bullets and tear gas.
Although Im against voilent demonstrations by the Lions and Lionesses but it appeared some were totally out of control not wanting to drop out of school. Voilence cant be the absolute remedy cos we students will still bear the brunt. UNN V.C Bartho has broken the long lines of peace in UNN established by his predecessor Nebo. He has proved to be incompetent and dubious. He's a disgrace to Nigeria as a whole Nation.

I have Spoken.

Prof Barth Okolo is from Udi, the village of the former VC Prof chinedu Nebo and a close associate of Dr sam Egwu(Education Minister). He is also an inlaw to Dr Alex Ekwueme. He was also the chairman of the University NUGA games.He was rigged in as the vice chancellor of UNN and billions of Naira was spent on bribe. He is currently looking for avenue to make enough money to pay his debtors because the money he made from the NUGA contract scams could not go round.
I wonder why people forget so fast. Let him go and ask Prof GINIGEME(UNN VC before Prof Nebo) to understand that the wicked wont go unpunished.

I am in unn, the information about the fee increase was put on the unn website, though not there again. The worst part about the acceptance fee is that after paying 25,000 naira in the bank they were given a receipt for 2000 naira, and he had the guts to bring military men. U people needed to see how they were all over the female hostels molesting them.

I am in unn, the information about the fee increase was put on the unn website, though not there again. The worst part about the acceptance fee is that after paying 25,000 naira in the bank they were given a receipt for 2000 naira, and he had the guts to bring military men. U people needed to see how they were all over the female hostels molesting them.

the vc deserves to be shot at the ball

To be sincere, the riot is the best action so far. Come to think of it; the man demolished all the eating places inside the school premises and no one talked, he went ahead to increase acceptance fee from 6000 to 25000 and people are paying grudgingly and to demonstrate his high handedness, when student union government confronted him on the matter, he refused to be seen. If everyone has kept quiet on the matter, after we might have finished exam by january ending, gone to break and come back, what we will see on the net as our school fee might be something else 'cos in every rumour, there is an atom of truth so thats why we decided to quell the water while its still at bay.

I graduated from UNN, in my first year we had one demostration when Mbanefo was still the VC and the VC lounge and other thing were also destroyed.We stayed at home for close to six months, I know how much we paid as reparation fees and we had to sign an undertaken to be of Good conduct, am not saying that the increament is good, but there are other ways they should have achieved their aim.

There could be dialogue, peaceful demonstration but definetly not riots, what will happen now, thay will stay at home for some months, pay reparation fees and still come back and pay schools fees that might be slightly higher than what they paid before. They will lose some months. Wat is tha essence of the riots.

why would parents pay that much for tuition when you wont even get access to a job after graduation. They are craaaaaaaaazy

Na waa oo,this people don't want us to go to school but God pass dem

The V.C is very very shipish I will say if this is realy true

When Umaru Gomwalk came with is own highhandedness, we all all blamed him for being a Northerner. He imposed service charge, increased school fees after the students were made to pay for the damages(Reparation fee ). He looted all and contested for the governorship of Plateau state. He squandered the money.

Now Okolo just came on the heels of Nebo who was doing well just like Udeala was doing before Gomwalk.

This is one thing that I am yet to come to terms with. This Okolo studied abroad and must have been heaping curses on the leaders of naija in his time the way we do now. Why can't he be diplomatic and do things differently?

Nebo established some ventures for the Universities and wsas making extra money from it. Lecturer were giving grants to attend international conferences unlike before. Now this guy is here with the same highhandedness SLS. Na wa oo

The student will lose at last. History has repeated itself. Pathetic!