Students of Oyo origin under the platform of Federation of Oyo State Students Union (FOSSU) have alleged that Oyo state governor Senator Abiola Ajimobi has “duped” at least 20,000 students from the state in the name of bursary.
The students made this declaration when they protested against hike in school fees, unpaid bursary and persistent strike by lecturers in tertiary institutions owned by the state government on in Ibadan, the state capital.
FOSSU’s National President, Azeez Sharafudeen told journalists during the protest that the state government was not ready to pay the bursary yet it “dubiously asked our students to purchase the form online with N1,200 per head thereby generating millions of naira.”
Sharafudeen threatened that there would also mass action by students if the government fails to attend to their needs within 21 days.
“Thousands of indigenous students across the country gathered today to protest against bad educational policy in the state, unjust skyrocketing of tuitions fee, incessant strikes in all state-owned institutions, over-crowding of students in lecture rooms, imposing of illegal levies on students in the name of generating IGR for state-owned schools, semi-privatisation of state-owned institutions, lack of teaching materials & aids in schools, lack of infrastructure in school and failure to fulfill the signed MOU over the payment of student bursary and other issues on education in the state.
Today, thousands of indigenous students in the state have resolved to come out in a well-organised manner to inform the general public about the plight students in the state,” Sharafudeen disclosed in a statement.
The joint Memorandum released, stated that 21- day ultimatum was agreed on, in order to provide effective modality at which the said payment will be done and the two bodies shall reconvene for subsequent activities stipulated toward successful actualisation of this year bursary scheme.
