Osun State University, UNIOSUN to expel over 4,000 students who refused to pay their tuition fees.

The management of Osun State University, Osogbo has resolved to expel over 4,000 students of the institution who refused to pay their tuition fees within the stipulated period which would expire on 28 of February.

In a press statement issued from the Corporate Affairs Unit of the university and signed by the Acting Registrar, Mr Gafar Shitu, the management of UNIOSUN said any student that failed to pay the tuition fees before the expiration of February 28, 2017 deadline would no longer be considered to be a student of the university.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Labode Popoola earlier told noted that students owed the university a backlog of school fees to the tune of N2billion (Two Billion Naira). According to the statement, a total of four thousand, four hundred and ten (4,410) students have not paid their school fees whereas majority of these students have collected the money from their parents but either “invested” in the failed MMM scheme or diverted same to other purposes.

The Registrar said 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.

“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.

The Registrar said the defaulting students who do not seek for leave of absence will also have their studentship terminated.