UNN Riot: VC Accuses Staff

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Professor Bathlomew Okolo, has accused some staff of the institution for instigating the students to violence which led to the vandalisation of Pro-Chancellor’s and Vice-chancellors lodges, 22 cars and buses among others.

 Disclosing this during a press briefing at the Enugu campus of the university, Professor Okolo denied the allegation that the subject of controversy was the hike in school fees.

 According to him, the students who were involved in the rampage were used by some miscreant staff in the university community to cause disorder.

 He explained that there could not have been any increase in fees since the university council saddled with such process had not taken such decision.

 In the same vein, he accused some sections of the media for misrepresentation of the real issues on ground, adding that the media was working in concert with those disgruntled elements in the university community.

 The vice chancellor argued that there was  no such thing like tuition fee paid by the students in the university.

 However, the rampaging students had alleged that the university authority demanded fresh students to pay N85,000 excluding N5,000 screening fee for the post UME examination, N25,000 acceptance fee for those offered admission while convocation fee for graduating students was increased from N6,000 to N40,000.

 It was gathered that the new fee regime did not get the approval of the local ASUU chapter.

 Addressing newsmen on the issue, the chairman of ASUU in the university, Dr Anselem Ibeanu said “we are opposed to these astronomical increase in the fees.”