UniAbuja management appeals for calm over students’ protest

The management of University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, has appealed to students not to disrupt the 2019/2020 Academic Calendar, considering the amount of time already lost to strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities A(SUU) and the lockdown on Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a statement on Monday, Dr Habib Yakoob, the university’s Public Relations Officer said the institution was putting all necessary measures in place to address the issues raised.
The students, had on Monday morning embarked on a protest rally along Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja to demand for reduction in tuition fee among other demands.
The statement, however, said the school management was surprised that while many students were happy that they were resuming to campus after ten months, others were staging a protest.
“This morning some students blocked the main gate of the university, preventing other students and staff from gaining access to the campus.
“The students said they were demanding the reopening and extension of school fees payment portal, cancellation of late registration fee and postponement of exams till  March 8, 2021.
“The university management states that following the release of 2012/2020 Academic Calendar by the Senate of the University, registration was to be done in two weeks.
“Following the expiration of this process, the university closed the portal in February 1, in-line with 2019/2020 Calendar.
“Yet after a plead from the students union, the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, in his magnanimity, twice directed the reopening of the portal to accommodate those who didn’t register on time.
“The management held an emergency meeting with the Students Union on Sunday January 31, 2021 and considered there appeal and the portal was reopened for another two weeks till February 14.
“Again late registration fee for those who had not paid their school fees and those who had paid but did not register was waved and late registration fee of N5,000, was to be refunded for those who had earlier paid.
“The university appeals to all law-abiding students not to partake in disrupting the 2019/2020 Academic Calendar, considering the amount of time lost to the strike by the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU and the lock down on COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.