Students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, on Monday, protested the hike in school fees by the management.

The students, who marched round the school premises with placards, later blocked the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway for hours to register their grievances.

They alleged that they were asked to pay about N500,000 fees for the session.

But the acting Head, Information and Public Relations of the institution, Chika Ene, denied the increase in fees.

He urged the students, staff and the public to dismiss the report of the fee increment as fake, targeted at causing unrest and destabilising the peace being enjoyed in the university.

But the students insisted that the increment was true and alleged that management connived with the Students’ Union Government to effect it.

One of them, a third-year student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the undergraduates decided to embark on the protest as they could not bear the fee increment.

The student stated, “When they increased the fee to over N50,000 last year, we were asked through the SUG executive to bear with the school, promising that they will revert to the initial fee of about N26,000.

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“But to our greatest surprise, instead of asking us to pay the old fee as promised, we saw a total of N500,000 as what we are going to pay now. This is criminally outrageous in a federal university.”

Addressing the students in front of the administrative block, the Chairman, Anambra State chapter, National Association of Nigerian Students, Peter Onyenweife, assured them that his executive would never be party to any form of fee increment.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, UNIZIK, Prof Fedrick Odibo, who addressed the students on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Charles Esimone, said the institution’s fees structure had been pulled down, while discussion with the SUG was ongoing.

He said, “We’ve heard your agitation and it is okay. You have freedom of protest and that’s why we’re handling you as our children.

“The VC is not around, but I’m in touch with him. He suggested that he addresses you via zoom, that’s the essence of technology.

“We’ve pulled down the fees structure of the university and we’re discussing with the students’ union government.”

On his part, the Dean, Students Affairs, Prof Nonso Achebe, called on the students to suspend the protest and assured them of a town hall meeting with the VC on his return.

Our correspondent gathered that the management would meet with the students on Tuesday for further discussions on the issue.