25 January 2012, Sweetcrude, WARRI –FRESH crisis rocked the Federal University and Petroleum Resources, FUPRE, Ugbomro, Delta State, Wednesday, following a clash between the management and 400 –level students over the refusal of the students to write their terminal examinations if their degree courses were not accredited.
The final year examinations billed for yesterday by the management of the University was shunned by the 400 level students who insisted they would not sit for the examination until their courses were accredited.
Due to mismanagement of the institution, none of the courses offered by the institution has been accredited by the relevant authority in the past five years and a National Universities Commission, NUC, fact-finding team, led by Prof Alhassan Bichi, recently, confirmed that FUPRE programmes were not accreditable at the moment.
Embarrassed by the student’s action, the management threatened to deal with any of the 400 -level students that refused to write the final year examinations and directed lecturers not to allow any of the aggrieved students to sit for carry-over courses.
Representatives of the 400- level students had in an internal memo, entitled, “Accreditation of Courses”, dated 17th January 2012, addressed to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Babatunde Alabi, stated that that they would not write the final year examinations until their courses were accredited.
The memo was signed by Nwosisi M.C, of Environmental Science, Okiti J, of Earth Science, Erhunwunse E.O, of Mat/Comp Science, Elijah V, of Physics and Idahosa A., of Chm/Ind.Chem respectively.
“With reference to the above subject matter, we the 400 level students of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources hereby make our collective stands known to the University management. That we will not write our final B.sc degree examinations until our courses are accredited. This unanimous decision was reached at an emergency meeting held on the 4th January, 2012”
“This stand is informed by the current status of our degree courses and the manner in which the management have handled our future”, they stated
Also, the students, yesterday, vowed to have it tough with the management of the university, and attack any lecturers that would adhere to the nefarious directive of the management.