The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN) has rejected the sudden and significant hike in the tuition of the students of the University of Abuja.
This was contained in a statement signed by Damilola Owot, the group secretary, asking the school to reverse the hike or “expect the mother of all protests”.
It described the development as anti-poor and highly insensitive to the economic crisis facing Nigeria, noting that the school management should turn to the government for funding and not increase the burden on students.
The group also demanded that all students who have paid the new fee should be refunded accordingly. It urged the students and staff unions of the university to launch a campaign for the immediate reversal of the humongous fee and thorough auditing of the university's account.
WYSN called on the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to set aside a day for a nationwide lecture boycott and mass protest.
The statement reads in part, "We, the Workers' and Youths' Solidarity Network, are shocked to hear about the outrageous increment in fees payable by new and returning students of the University of Abuja.
"The new fee structure requires Health Sciences students to pay a whopping N205,000 - N225,000 in school fees, on top of the acceptance fee of N30,000 and other dues and levies. This is the third time in five years that the school fee has been increased.
"The Vice-Chancellor, Rasheed Na'Allah (PhD), claims that the primary objective behind the increment is to make the institution's students the best so their dreams can become a reality.
"However, we see this development as anti-poor and highly insensitive to the economic crisis facing Nigeria. The school management should turn to the government for funding and not increase the burden on students.
"Therefore, we totally condemn this increment and call for its immediate reversal. We urge students and workers to commence a comprehensive struggle for the reversal of the hiked fee. We also call on NANS to immediately name a day for a nationwide lecture boycott and mass protest, to demand the reversal of all hiked fees, an end to education commercialization, and improved funding of public education.
"In January 2018, UNIABUJA implemented its first school fee increment, and two years later, as reported by The Guardian, the fees were increased again by 100%, with a two-week deadline for payment. Students took to social media to express their outrage over the insensitivity and recklessness of the University Management and the Students’ Union leadership, who have constantly been tools of the management.
"After the Covid-19 break, the management locked the portal for fee payment. In February 2021, students used the hashtag #EndUniabujaOppression to lead a protest and occupied the streets of Giri, Abuja, to demand a reversal of the 100% increase and the re-opening of the portal. However, according to Sahara Reporters, the Vice Chancellor of the University refused to reverse the fee, claiming that some students had already paid. This led hundreds of students to drop out of school as they could not afford the new fee.
"In 2022, the University Management, still under the same Vice-Chancellor, increased the school fees by over 50%, citing the inability of the university to depend on the government for funds. In a statement obtained from The Punch Newspaper, the University spokesperson, Habib Yakoob (PhD), said that ‘the increment is not that significant!’
"The school management should turn to the government for funding instead of increasing the burden on the students. We strongly condemn these increments and call for their immediate reversal. Students and workers must be prepared to struggle for a total reversal of the hiked fees, and we urge the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to name a day for a nationwide lecture boycott and mass protest to demand an end to education commercialization and improved funding of public education.”