UNILAG students halt protest following police commissioner’s mediation

The National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Council (NANS JCC) in Lagos state has decided to temporarily suspend their planned protest against the recent fee increase at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). This decision came after a timely intervention by Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Alimi Idris, the chairman of the student association, along with secretary Abdulrazak Yusuf, expressed their appreciation for the commissioner’s intervention and called for the grievances of the students to be effectively communicated to the relevant authorities.

During a meeting on Monday, CP Idowu Owohunwa addressed the student leaders. The students had originally intended to stage a demonstration on Tuesday but were invited by the commissioner for dialogue in order to explore alternatives to the protest.

Assurances were provided by the commissioner that he would engage with the university’s Vice Chancellor to discuss and address the students’ concerns. Furthermore, CP Owohunwa established a police-student relations committee (PSRC) to preemptively manage any future issues stemming from this interaction.

A notable moment during the discussions was the revelation that one student from the delegation, whose identity has been withheld, had been granted a scholarship by the CP to support their education. This, among other factors, contributed to the student leaders’ decision to temporarily suspend the planned protest. The student representatives pledged to maintain a peaceful atmosphere on campus moving forward.

The backdrop of this development was the university’s decision, announced on July 20, 2023, to revise the fees for undergraduate courses. Notably, the new fee structure raises the costs for medical students to N190,250 from N19,000, while courses requiring laboratory and studio use will now cost N140,250.