UNILAG students protest high food prices, shut shops...

For the third day, students of the University of Lagos continued their protest on Tuesday over the high price of food items in the school, saying they must have their ways.

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