A group of Post Graduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife, Osun State, has accused the management of the school of systemic fraud and exploitation.
In a document sent to DAILY POST on Sunday, which comprised a communique and letter addressed to the Vice-chancellor, the students specifically frowned at what they described as continuous payment of fees after final oral defence, among other sundry issues.
The communique, dated September 11, chided the university management for charging the highest fees for post graduate programmes among other federal universities in Nigeria.
The communique further queried the reason why the management will delay sittings on the final results of students after completion of their programmes, and at the same time continue to charge them for subsequent semesters they spent waiting for their results.
“Despite the outrageous increment, nothing has been done in averting delays and curbing administrative bottlenecks, which resulted in continuous payment of fees after final oral defence.
“The continuous payment of fees after final oral defence is rigid, unfortunate, exploitative and the peak of inhumane treatment a Nigerian student can be possibly served,” they said.
In the same vein, the students, in a letter dated September 12, which was addressed to the Vice-chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, and copied to all the unions on the campus, as well as Chairman, Committee of Deans, and Dean, Students’ Affairs maintained their stance on the alleged illegal charges, and demanded for immediate redress.
“Taking into account the obvious, that we students, after the submission of our corrected theses have no control over the recurrent delayed approval forms E, A, and Abstract, at different stages of sittings.
“We lament the unjust cause for which we are made to bear the brunt by way of being continuously charged heavily for our period of inactivity.
“Moreover, as a university which prides herself as a foremost university in the continent, with massive efforts of operating based on well-established international standards, we find such a policy alien in the comity of prestigious universities.
“Hence, we press for a rational cause and maintain that the institution issues a directive that primarily allows students to pay, not further than the semester of final oral defence and further addresses the many issues stated in the enclosed communique accordingly.
“We hope, not later than two weeks from now to get a prompt response to be intensely review for our next line of action”, the letter reads in part.