UNIOSUN to Expel 4000 Students Over Nonpayment of Tuition Fees

By Fisayo Oyeyinka

About 4000 students of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) have been penciled down for expulsion by the management of the university over nonpayment of tuition fees.

CityMirrorNews gathered that some students and ex-students of the university who are currently undergoing National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) had refused to pay tuition fees and managed to graduate from the school with help of some compromised workers of the university.

The unpaid tuition fees have accumulated to N2billion, according to the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Labode Popoola

Acting Registrar of the institution, Gafar Shitu in a press statement on Sunday, said any student that failed to pay the tuition fees before the expiration of February 28, 2017 deadline would no longer be a student of the university.

Shitu said: “Students who cannot meet up with the deadline and do not want their studentship terminated may apply in writing to the school authorities to grant them leave of absence for the current semester with a sworn affidavit, pledging to make payment before resumption from the leave of absence.

“The Management of UNIOSUN would no longer tolerate non-adherence to the deadlines for payment and course registration as contained in the University calendar and students handbook.

“With regard to this current 2016/2017 academic session, late registration commenced on December 5, 2016 and lasted till December 24, 2016 when the students’ portal was automatically shut down.

“However, the University Senate at its meeting of January 26, 2017 after observing that a large number of students had refused to turn up in spite of ceaseless appeals, decided that the students’ portal be reopened longer into 12th week of resumption against the four weeks stipulated in the University regulations.

“The decision of the University Senate, which was adequately communicated to all the students on February 2, 2017, was to afford more students the opportunity to pay their fees with effect from 17th to 24th February, 2017, a date which was later extended till February 28, 2017.

“On 16 February, 2017, some students embarked on a protest against the enforcement of extant rules and regulations regarding fee payment and registration. Investigations show that over 90 per cent of the protesters had not registered for between two and 11 semesters, and were thus using the stipulated late registration penalty of N10, 000 as a smokescreen for their years of defaulting in fee payment and registration.

“The University Senate has made it clear to the public that at no time was school fees increased and has thus decided that no unregistered students should be permitted to write the First Semester Examinations, which commence on Monday, March 6, 2017.”

He disclosed that no fewer than 400 parents and guardians of the defaulting students have called the University helplines to report that they had long given money to their children to pay school fees.