University College Hospital, Ibadan

The University of Ibadan (UI) on Sunday closed its medical school, directing students to vacate hostels by noon on the same day.

The directive is contained in a release signed by the institution’s Registrar,  Olujinmi Olukoya, and made available to newsmen in Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the release was, however, neither dated nor written on the official letterhead of the university.

According to the release, the Academic Board of the College of Medicine, UI, considered the possible security threat that the students’ agitation against school fees could pose.

Thus, they  recommended the closure.

The release said that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, approved the board’s recommendation and directed that medical students should leave their hostels by 12 noon on Sunday.

The President of the university’s Medical Students Association, Mr Olakorede Jacob, frowned at the closure in a telephone interview.

Jacob said that the association was not contacted through any official notice.

“We only saw copies of the release to that effect pasted around the hostel premises.

“Nonetheless, we have no choice than to adhere to the directive,” he said.

The decision of management to close the medical school is in connection with the staged protest by the students against increase in accommodation fee and  introduction of a new fee described as “professional training fee”.

The students claimed that the increase was capable of making some of them to abandon their medical course.

The professional fee ranged from N75,000 to N100,000 per student, while accommodation fee in the halls of residence was raised to N30,000 per student.

As at the time of this report, all occupants of the Alexandra Brown Hall in University College Hospital had vacated the hostel.