Kaduna Varsity Bars Students From Protesting High Tuition Fees, Threatens Arbitrary Expulsion
The management of Kaduna State University has allegedly barred students of the institution from partaking in any ‘protest’ or ‘demonstration’ whatsoever.
Nigerian Sketch was told that the university issued a ‘Letter of Undertaking’ which parents and guardians of all students were asked to go to the institution to sign.
The content of the undertaking reads that each parent of guardian “pledge that my Son/Daughter should be expelled without warning if he /she engages in any demonstration/protest against the increment in tuition fees or any contrary activities of the University’s rules and regulation.”
In addition to the Letter of Undertaking, the university has circulated a ‘Special Bulletin’ in which it informed staff, students and the general public that academic activities at the institution have commenced since Tuesday, the 22nd of June, 2021, and that parents must sign the Letter of Undertaking that prohibits students from protesting the increment in school fees.
The special bulletin was issued by the institution’s registrar but was unsigned. A copy was sent to Nigerian Sketch by a staff of the university who affirmed that it really emanated from the university on Friday.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) responded to the university’s documents by issuing a warning that: “Kaduna Varsity must immediately withdraw the unlawful directive to students and parents to sign ‘an undertaking’ not to protest.”
SERAP said this in a Tweeter post, adding that “Peaceful assembly is a fundamental right.”
It also threatened to “hold the university to account if students are harassed simply for exercising their rights.”
Nigerian Sketch’s attempt to ascertain the authenticity of the Bulletin and the Letter of Undertaking in circulation proved abortive as several calls to the university’s registrar went unanswered.
