• Students disrupt activities, block Ado-Iworoko road
• Management suspends academic activities

Academic and commercial activities at Ekiti State University (EKSU) were, yesterday, paralysed when students of the institution embarked on protest over alleged hike in school fees and other sundry charges.
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The protesters shut down the main gate to the university and prevented staff and visitors from entering the campus.

They also blocked the major highway, leading to Iworoko town, Ifaki, Oye and its environs, thereby, causing heavy gridlock along the route.

At press time, the students had refused to reopen the gate and remove the barricade along Ado-Iworoko road.

The Students Union President, Ogunsanya Dotun, told newsmen that apart from the increase in school fees, the immediate cause of the crisis was the imposition of late registration fees of N10,000,  which he said, did not augur well with students.

“We held a meeting with the management on Monday, where they agreed to reduce it to N5, 000 and I advised them to meet with the faculty presidents, but the faculty presidents turned down the offer,”  Dotun said.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Edward Olanipekun, on behalf of the university Senate, has approved the suspension of academic activities on campus, for two weeks, with immediate effect.

Head, Directorate of Information & Corporate Affairs in the institution, Bode Olofinmuagun, in a statement, said no student must be seen on campus for the next two weeks.

“Arising from the above, all students of the university are ordered to vacate the campus premises immediately and should not be seen within the campus premises for the next two weeks.

“Parents and guardians are hereby advised to invite their wards home immediately. Any student found wandering around the university premises does so at his/her own risk,” the statement added.