OAU: Newly Elected SU Executives Meet Management, Demand School Fees Reduction

The newly elected Students’ Union executives of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) on Wednesday, held a meeting with the university management to lay bare some of the concerns of the students.

The SU executives among others demanded a reduction in school fees, increased accommodation facilities, and solutions to the transportation challenges faced by students.

Osun Defender gathered that the meeting which took place at the Senate Building of the University had in attendance, the institution’s Pro-Chancellor, Professor Siyan Oyeweso, the VC Prof Simeon Bamire, SU executives, leadership of NASU, ASUU, CONUA, and other governing council members.

The students union president-elect, Omoboriowo Isaac (Dr Bush), in his address to the university management, called for a reduction in the school fees paid by the students.

He also noted that there is a need for the university management to provide more accommodations, for the students on campus.

According to him, “One of the reasons why my father allowed me to come to OAU was because the school fees was very cheap.

“When I came in as a part one student eight years ago, I was paying nineteen thousand naira only. It was just three thousand higher than the money I paid while in secondary school.

Speaking with Osun Defender after the meeting, Busari Samuel Timileyin, (S&T) the welfare officer-elect, noted that the major reason for the meeting was to address the issues affecting the students on campus.

According to him, “the discussion centres on the issues affecting OAU students on campus. We were told to come along with information on the issues affecting the students basically when it comes to accommodation, transportation and other issues affecting the students.

“The leadership of the Union, led by the student union, president-elect Omoboriowo Damilola Isaac (Dr Bush), presented various issues affecting the students on campus to the PRO Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor on seat. At the level of the meeting, the president-elect informed the university management of the need to make adequate provisions for more accommodations on campus.

“As it stands now we have eight halls of residence on campus and the capacity of those eight halls cannot contain up to five thousand students which we have over thirty thousand students on this campus. There’s need for the university management to make provisions for more hostels on campus. The hostel needs to be well maintained. We have some hostels on campus where the toilet is not well used and bad.

“There are some rooms in this hall of residence where there are no bulbs or sockets. Students will have to come from their halls to the academic areas to charge their phones and other gadgets. The university management was implored to Make provisions for that.

“The bushes around us need to be cleared in due time. We have seen situations where by the students union will have to be on the neck of the university management before they could clear the bushes around.”

“Transportation issue was also tabled at the level of the meeting to the newly appointed Pro-Chancellor. There’s need for the management to bring in more buses and long vehicles for the students. There’s need to meet with the leadership of the bus drivers to make a concrete interaction with them and to reach a conclusion because we have heard various issues of extortion of bus drivers whereby the union leaders and the bus drivers will have a meeting and they will do otherwise in contrary to the agreement been reached by them. There is need for the management to call them to order and have a lengthy discussion with them,” he added.