Prof. Florence Obi, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, has issued a directive to halt the implementation of recently approved fees, following a massive student protest that disrupted academic and official activities on Monday.
The decision was conveyed through a statement by the university’s Registrar, Mr Gabriel Egbe, and was made public on Monday. The institution had earlier approved adjustments to school fees during an emergency meeting on December 1, leading to discontent among students.
The statement read in part:
“The management of this institution is a listening administration.
“We want to assure the students as critical stakeholders that appropriate arrangements have been put in place through constructive engagements with the students to resolve the matter.
“The management, however, commends the students for the mature, reasonable and civilised manner exhibited towards resolving the matter.”
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Before the suspension, the new fee structure included charges of N111,000, N91,500, and N114,000 for freshers, returning students, and final year students in non-science courses, respectively. Additionally, third-party dues were set at N36,500, N21,500, and N21,500 for these categories.
For science courses, fees were increased to N155,000, N125,000, and N148,000 for freshers, returning students, and final year students, accompanied by third-party dues of N38,500, N21,500, and N21,500.
The sudden adjustment sparked a protest by students who expressed their dissatisfaction with the fee increment, leading to the Vice Chancellor’s decision to suspend the implementation until further notice.
Prior to the fee adjustment, the average student, depending on the department, paid N64,050 as a fresher, N52,050 as a final year student, and N49,500 as a returnee.
