RUST boils…
Authorities shut down university
Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RUST) Nkpolu Campus was on Thursday in turmoil following a massive protest by students of the University.
The protest which started as early as 8am according to an insider, was intended to be peaceful within the campus, which resulted to the locking of the two entrance gates in order to prevent hoodlums hijacking of situation.
The students who were on black attire walked round the campus expressing dissatisfaction over the policies of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. B. Fakae in running the affairs of the institution.
Students interviewed said: “Introduction of computer technology in the school system for record keeping is a good one, but what we are saying is that people that are operating it are not quite capable and as a result, they manipulate a lot of students' results”.
Telegraph also learnt that part time students of the institution have their complaints on another hand different from regular students which is about the sudden increase of school fees by the university authority led by Prof. Fakae.
“How can the school management arbitrarily increase the fee at the point when the economy is biting hard on everybody. It is sheer wickedness.
“Fakae should go”, one protester said. “Since he came to U.S.T., things had not been the same again. Results of post-graduate school for almost six years back are yet to be approved. “How can one finish a programme without a certificate”.
It was at the height of the protest that police was sighted with armoured cars, and the main entrance gate earlier locked by the students was forcefully opened. Several gun shots were fired into the air and canesters of tear gas also released by the Police to disperse the protesting students.
Everybody was in a state of confusion. Meanwhile, in order to forestall any chaotic situation, the authorities have ordered all students to vacate the hostels till further notice while the school was temporarily closed down.
Speaking to Port Harcourt Telegraph on phone, the Public Relations Officer of the University. Mr. Desmond Nwosu expressed dissatisfaction in the manner students demonstrated, adding that the representatives of the students' body had already been invited on that Thursday by the management for peaceful resolution of the matter, but to the greatest surprise of the management, the students acted otherwise.
“All what the management is saying is that they should remain calm to enable it consider their demands,” Nwosu said.
He said management was making all efforts to ensure that there is a dialogue between the student representatives and the university authority, but the Thursday protest on the Campus has voided the plan.
“Even the University's Senate was expected to meet on the issue that same day, the protest was carried out as a follow up to the earlier meeting held by committee of Deans, all in the quest for a peaceful resolution of the issue” the PRO added.
The management plan was to even meet with them today being Friday (30/10/09) but with the new development it can not be possible,” he said.
However, it was reliably learnt that all students due for NYSC and Law School programmes this year, would not be affected by the sudden misunderstanding on the campus, even as concerned persons in the state are already pleading with the students to give the management the chance to look into their grievances.
