After years of litigation, the University of Port Harcourt has finally bowed to pressure to graduates its 2015/2016 final year students.
Following the refusal of the school to graduate the students and mobilize them for the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, on grounds of non compliance with school fees policy, the affected students dragged the institution to court.
In his judgement, presiding Justice Hilary Oshomah of a federal high court in Port Harcourt ordered the institution’s management to award the final year students their graduation certificate and enroll them for National Youth Service Corps.
While commending the court, lawyer to the institution’s graduates, Barr Kingdom Chukwuezie advised the management of UNIPORT to accept the outcome of the judgement in good faith and comply accordingly with the decision of the court.
“Let me advise the defendant (UNIPORT) in this suit to accept the judgement in good faith.
“It will go a long way in saving our society from a lot of problems as it would have been quite frustrating to send over 1,227 graduated students away without issuing them certificate”, the plaintiffs counsel said.
Months after the judgment was delivered, the institution kept deaf ears to the order of the court and refused to comply accordingly which led to a contempt proceeding instituted by the affected graduates against the school.
However, in a memorandum released from the office of the school’s registrar to the Provost CHS, Deans of Faculties/Schools Heads and Acting Heads of Departments, the university had accepted to accommodate the affected graduates.
The statement titled: “Amnesty to students affected by the 2015/2016 academic session and re-opening of students portals for payment of school charges,” was signed by Dorcas Otto (PhD).
It reads in part that “following the recommendation of the committee on staff and students’ grievances, regarding the need for the university to grant amnesty to students affected by the no payment of school charges, no examination policy of the senate in the 2015/2016 academic session, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Stephen Akodudu has granted amnesty to the affected students.”
