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Pupils from the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, located in the Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, demonstrated on Wednesday concerning a claimed increase in school charges by the university administration.

The demonstrators blocked the bustling East-West Road and all entry paths to the university grounds, singing songs of support and holding up signs with different messages that criticized the alleged tuition increase.

Nevertheless, the head of the university’s Student Union Government, referred to only as Etinosa, kept the union separate from the demonstration.

The SUG is not involved in the protest,” he said to reporters. “I have spoken with the students and urged them to remain calm. I have passed on their concerns to the administration, but now both parties have placed me in the middle.

Frankly speaking, this is exhausting.

In response to the situation, the Vice-Chancellor of FUPRE, Prof. Ezekiel Agbalagba, referred to the demonstrators as “faceless individuals” who were not affiliated with the university’s officially recognized student leadership.

“They do not represent the Student Union leadership; the SUG is not involved in their activities,” Agbalagba stated during a phone interview.

He stated that discussions between the university administration and the SUG regarding a potential examination of tuition fees were still in progress, without any conclusive decision being made.

We have had meetings with the student union leaders — a total of about five so far — and the talks are still ongoing,” the VC stated. “During our most recent meeting, someone obtained a draft of our discussion and shared it online as the new school fees. This is not true.

He stated that the management chose to halt additional meetings until after the current assessments are completed.

We have decided to restart discussions next week to keep the negotiations going,” he added. “This morning, I learned that some individuals have blocked the road. The president of the SUG has already issued a statement. The people responsible are anonymous, and the content going viral on social media does not represent the stance of the university administration.

“It’s all about politics aimed at discrediting me. Certain individuals might have swayed some of them, but they aren’t the official student leaders,” Agbalagba stated.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).