The University of Benin (UNIBEN) Senate council has approved the removal of the N20,000 late registration fee that led to a two-day mass protest by students of the institution.
The University was subsequently bolted as event threatened to boil over.
Ademola Bobola, Registrar of the University, announced the removal of the fee in a statement issued late Thursday.
Bobola noted that the senate, at a virtual meeting, ratified the earlier verbal pronouncement by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lilian Salami.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Salami verbally withdrew the charge on Wednesday when the protesting students reportedly stormed her lodge and forced her to trek to the school’s main gate–which is quite some distance.
The registrar said that the senate, during the second meeting, also approved the decision that money already paid by defaulting students be refunded via modalities to be worked out by the Bursary Department.
“Consequently, lectures are to resume on Monday, September 20, to enable students who obeyed the directive on school closure and travelled, to return.
“The university’s decision-making body also agreed that a new timeline is set for the payment of the school charges for the 2020/2021 academic session.
“It also directed that the re-activation of charges for postgraduate programmes be sent to the board of postgraduate school for review,” he said.
Bobola explained that while the senate reiterated that penalty for late payment of school charges, which has been in existence for years in the university, should not be set aside, it however called for its modification.
The senate also passed a vote of confidence on the university’s management and praised the vice chancellor for her wisdom, courage and magnanimity in acceding to the requests of the students.
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