LASU students lay siege to Fashola’s office

barricade came barely 24 hours after eight of the
protesting students were arraigned before an Ikeja chief
magistrate’s court for alleged breach of public peace.
The students in a protest march arrived at Alausa
Secretariat, Ikeja at about 3:00 pm and immediately
barricaded the entrance to the governor’s office with two
Bus Rapid Transit, BRT buses and other vehicles.
After barricading the entrance, they danced and set up
traditional cooking stove where they cooked beans for
themselves. They also observed Muslim prayers at the
entrance.
Vanguard observed that the arrival of the students to the
seat of power send jitters down the spine of the private
security officers attached to the Lagos State House of
Assembly and they shut the entrance gate to the
legislative house.
Also, police officers attached to the Area F police
command and Alausa police stations were quickly
drafted to the scene to forestall any damage to
government’s property.
The union President, Nurudeen Yusuf, said that peaceful
protest was a citizen’s right as enshrined in the
constitution.
Scores of LASU students, had on Tuesday protested,
carrying placards around Ikeja-Along Bus Stop through
Computer Village to Oshodi over the fee hike.
The protest later turned violent at Bolade area of Oshodi
when policemen intercepted the students, firing tear gas
and gun shots into the air to disperse the protesters.
Sixteen students were arrested and 10 hospitalised,
while five vehicles belonging to the union were seized.
Eight of the students were on Wednesday arraigned
before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court charged with
disturbance of public peace.
Yusuf condemned the attack by the policemen, adding
that the action was unconstitutional and an abuse of
power.
“We are students and Nigerian citizens and as enshrined
in the 1999 constitution, we have freedom of expression
and the right to protest,” he said.
The union leader said that the students were not
engaged in violence on Tuesday but only carried
placards and chanted solidarity songs to sensitise the
government about their plight.“We started the protest
from LASU gate with five police vans following us all
through until we got to Bolade, Oshodi, when it seemed
the police received an order to disperse us.
“We did not vandalise any public property as claimed,”
he said.
Yusuf urged Governor Fashola to meet the demand of the
students and reduce the tuition fee, as they would not
relent in their struggle.
LASU had on April 24 submitted a proposal of N46,500
for returning students and N65,500 for fresh students as
the new tuition fees. This is against the current charge
of N197,000 and N350,000 respectively for medical
students.
The proposal followed the directives of Governor Fashola
in a meeting with the students on March 31, to come up
with a proposal of how much they can afford.
The ad-hoc committee constituted by the State
Executive Council on review of LASU tuition, under the
chairmanship of the Commissioner of Transport, Mr
Kayode Opeifa, invited the students union for a meeting
on May 27.
The committee, however, said that quality education
could not be sustained with the fees proposed by the
students.