The continued high price of food
prices in campus has led to protest by Students of the University of Lagos for
the third day running,
In the frenzy, the students had shut
shops in some of the school halls of residence and others within the school,
insisting on a drastic slash in prices of food items.
The protest had started on
Sunday after one of the student leaders in Mariere Hall, named Seun
Lari-Williams, refused to pay N110 for one pack of noodle, and N10 for a sachet
of water.
It was learnt that the food seller
had refused to reduce the price which made Lari-williams to mobilise students
in the hall to embark on a protest against unfair price of goods in the school.
A final student of the Department of
Chemical Engineering, Timothy Quadri, said, “The protest started on Sunday at
Mariere Hall. It was the President of the Law Students Society, Seun
Lari-Williams, who wanted to buy noodle (hungry man size), and he was told it
was N110. But he disagreed with the lady at the counter, saying the price was
N100 outside the campus. Later, he decided to get the N10 balance from his
room.
“But by the time he returned, the
lady had decided that she would not sell for him again, which started a
quarrel.
“Angry Lari-Williams quickly summoned
fellow students in the hall who came down to shut the shop and started a
protest against unfair price of goods on the campus.”
Another student from the Department
of Mass Communication, Adeola Scott, said the protest had been peaceful.
She said, “It has been peaceful. On
Sunday, the students moved round Mariere and Jaja, and on Monday, they moved
shut all the shops in Science, Engineering and New Hall. They were joined by
the deputy dean of students’ affairs who monitored the students to ensure it
was peaceful.”
The Dean of Students Affairs, Prof.
Olukayode Almond, was said to have ordered that all stalls and supermarkets be
shut pending the time the crisis would be resolved.
Meetings were also held with the
deputy Dean of Student Affairs and Head of Counselling Unit to end the protest
and pacify the warring students.
However, a communiqué at the end of
the meeting, obtained by our correspondent showed that students’ leaders,
school management, and representatives of sellers of goods and services on the
campus had agreed on prices for goods and services in UNILAG.
For instance, a small bottle of soft
drink is to cost N50, while washing soap prices ranged from N50 to N120.
Toothpastes are to be sold for between N100 and N200. Stationery will now go
for minimum of N70 and maximum of N100. The particular noodles that caused the
problem will be sold for N90.
The school said one spoon of rice
would be sold for N400, while three spoons must not be more than N100.
Tags
Society