Motorists Stranded As Bsu Protest Hike In Fees

Motorist on the Makurdi- Gboko federal high went through hellish ordeal yesterday when students of the Benue State University, BSU, yesterday trooped into the streets, crippling business activities and barricading the ever-busy road. The students who were protesting over recent hike in tuition by the school’s management, left several travellers and road users stranded for over four hours.

The protesting students, who displayed placards with inscriptions such as, “Our parents cannot afford this” “reverse this unpopular decision”, “the new fee in anti-people”, and “we did not bargain for this.” Some other placard read, ‘’This will lead to high level of prostitution’’ ‘’education must be affordable’’ 
The protest, which lasted over four hours disrupted the free flow of traffic on the highway and also crippled all business and social activities within the university vicinity. Students who spoke to AMblogs on condition of anonymity explained that management of the institution recently hiked acceptance fees for fresh and graduating students of the institution from N5,000 to N25,000, insisting that the increase was completely at variance with the current economic hardship in the country. According to him: “The increase is too much. How can any right thinking management raise fees at this time, given the economic situation in the country? Our parents are civil servants who are being owed so many months’ salaries yet school fees are being increased. It is wickedness.” 
Another female went further to blame the situation on the state government saying; the Benue State Government that could not even pay salaries & almost 70% of Benue Citizens are salaries earners either as a workers or pensioners. She called on the Government and University Management to have a rethink & reverse this policy with immediate effect’’