The Socialist Youth League (SYL) has condemned what it described as an “unjustifiable fee hike” and the “targeted suspension” of 18 student leaders at the Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, following a student protest against the late imposition of new fees.
In a statement released on Monday, SYL National Coordinator, Ani Kayode Somtochukwu, expressed solidarity with the affected students, accusing the college administration of stifling student voices and undermining democratic engagement on campus.
“We stand in solidarity with students of the school and their leaders who are facing suspension for no just cause,” Somtochukwu said.
“We consider the action by the college administration an affront on the rights of students. And the victimisation of student leaders shall not stand.”
The controversy erupted after the college administration introduced a compulsory N20,000 fee for full-time students just two weeks before second semester examinations scheduled to begin on March 10.
The decision was made without prior consultation with students or their representatives.
Many students, already struggling to meet first semester financial obligations amid harsh economic realities, reportedly appealed for a deadline extension. But their requests were allegedly dismissed by the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr. Bidemi Adeboye.
The statement read,.“We are dismayed by the actions of the College’s Dean of Students Affairs, Mr. Bidemi Adeboye, who scoffed at and derailed attempts by student leaders to extend the deadline for payment.
When students staged a peaceful protest in response to the fee hike, the college management retaliated by suspending 18 student union leaders and members of the Students’ Representative Council indefinitely.
The management cited “threats to the academic calendar and campus peace” as grounds for the suspension, a claim the SYL described as “baseless fearmongering.”
“There was no report of destruction of property,” Somtochukwu emphasised.
“This is nothing but a brazen display of dictatorship and a contempt for students’ rights.”
The SYL contextualised the incident within broader national challenges facing tertiary education in Nigeria, including increasing tuition fees and inadequate public funding.
“Students have become the proverbial cash cow being gutted for the sustenance of tertiary institutions,” the statement continued.
“This is an unsustainable model in a country infamous for being the poverty capital of the world. Education should not be a commodity of luxury attainable only by the rich.”
The group made several key demands: Immediate and unconditional reinstatement of all suspended student leader.
Retraction of the newly introduced N20,000 fee and extension of the first semester fee payment deadline.
Replacement of the Dean of Student Affairs and etablishment of an inclusive decision-making process that respects student voices.
The group called for sustained resistance against what SYL called the “commodification of education” and urged the broader student movement to remain vigilant and united in the struggle for accessible public education.
