Some students of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Wednesday evening, were seen hurriedly leaving the institution following the postponement of their examinations by the school’s management.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the postponement of the examinations comes as a proposed nationwide protest against hardship and the rising cost of living that begins on Aug. 1 and ends on Aug. 10.
Some of the students who spoke with NAN said they were vacating the campus due to pressure from their parents to come home since their examinations had been postponed indefinitely.
“We have no choice than to leave the campus since our parents are mounting pressure on us to come home due to the postponement of our examinations.
“Our parents are afraid we might be influenced to join the planned nationwide protest; they feel we will be safer under their watch,” Alfred Egbe, one of the students, said.
Also, a 300-level student of the Department of English, who simply identified herself as Miss Jomiloju, said that she was not happy with the postponement of the examinations.
According to her, the postponement will affect her going to the U.K for her summer holiday.
“We are not kids; why will any student leave examination to join a protest in Nigeria, knowing what happened to some of those who participated in the 2020 EndSARS protest?,” Jomiloju said.
Another student, who also pleaded anonymity, said governments at all levels should yield to the cries of the masses by addressing the challenges currently confronting the country.
“Experience has shown that this kind of protest has a political undertone and is designed to cause chaos, mayhem and looting. We should not allow this to happen.
“The destruction unleashed on Lagos during the EndSars protest is still affecting people.
“We are not even talking about the lives lost.
“I am going home this evening,” he said.
Mr Sammie Okon, from the Law Faculty, told NAN that he had to leave immediately as one had yet to predict how the protest would eventually turn out.
“It might get messy. I am just speculating, I would not know.
“But, I’d rather not be on campus since the exams have been shifted,” he said.
For Mr Femi Abegunde, said it was better not to be on campus as the event might turn to “another thing”
“Hoodlums may hijack the protest to saboteur the laudable objectives of the planned protest.
“Looting and chaos may occur, and you know how our security operatives can get in such times.
“I think they have apathy toward youths; so, I would not even want any excuse to what I could regret later.
“There are no more exams for now, let me go home,” he told NAN.
However, NAN reports that as at the time of filing this report, people were moving freely within the campus while businesses were also going on unhindered.
NAN also reports that there was no presence of security agencies both within and outside the institution.
