By Ola Kay
Academic and commercial activities within Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma, were grounded on Thursday as students embarked on demonstration over inability to register for their courses, due to imposition of exorbitant late registration fee.
The protesting students barricaded the entrance gate to the main campus as early as 6:00 am thereby preventing lecturers, students and other staffers from gaining access to the institution.
A lecturers, who spoke on conditions of anonymity over the development said the students embarked on the protest over their inability to register for their courses as well as the N20,000 penalty for late registration.
Another source attributed the late lregistration on the part of the students to network challenges in registering for their course works.
The source said: “And today is the last day of the registration. Any student that failed to register today will pay a penalty of N20,000.” She added that those affected were mainly faculties of law and management science students
The source claimed that many of the affected students were also transfered to other departments through the introduction of what she referred to as proceeding list they argued was strange to the law, rules and regulations of the institution.
A memorandum which was later issued by the Acting Registrar of the University, Mr.Ambrose Odiase, revealed that the university’s Senate had set aside an emergency meeting to attend to the protesting students.
Part of the details contained in the memo read: “I am directed to convey an emergency meeting of the Senate today, 6th June 2024, to address matters of urgent importance, including the issue of course registration and proceeding list for law students. “The meeting is mandatory for all members.”
Available information at the time of filing this report indicated that the Senate of the AAU had shifted the students’ registration by two weeks, an indication that the protesting students could now go ahead with their registration without payment of any penalty for late registration.
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