Nigerians Condemn Outrageous Tuition Fees’ Hike Across Universities, UNIMAID, UNIBEN, Others

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June 21, 2023
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SaharaReporters learnt that certain federal universities have hiked their students' tuition fees by more than 100% in the last 12 months.
 

Backlashes have continued to trail the recent increments in school fees of various publicly owned universities in Nigeria.
SaharaReporters learnt that certain federal universities have hiked their students' tuition fees by more than 100% in the last 12 months.
The University of Maiduguri in terror-ravaged Borno State, Northeast, was among the first to raise tuition. The institution hiked their medical students' tuition to N238,000 in January, up from less than N100,000.
Tuition fees for law students were raised from N26,000 to around N104,000.
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto in Sokoto State raised their student fees as well.
The second generation in the Seat of the Caliphate increased tuition prices for law students from N56,000 to N86,300 (for final year students) to N86,3000 and N48,000 to N73,000, while medical students' fees were hiked to N109,000 from roughly N60,000 to N70,000.
In addition, a proposed undergraduate price schedule for the 2022/2023 academic session provided by Bayero University, Kano, shows a new increment of tuition rates for students based on their faculties.
SaharaReporters learned that fresher law students of the school were paying N39,000 but with the new proposed fees, they would be paying N105,000.
The most shocking of them all is the recent increment from the University of Benin, Edo State. The student’s tuition fees were increased from the range of N69,000-N74,000 to N170,000 to N190,000.
This is the same university the student was paying less than N20,000 per session last five years ago.
A netizen, Akpologun of Ososo Land, who claimed to be a former student of the university expressed his shock over the present tuition fees imposed on the students.
He said, “Can’t believe the same school my generation paid N14400 as a returning engineering student in 2017 is now 170k for Gen Z. No be say anything go change o, same old beans called syllabus.”
“Chai. I paid 12,400 from 200l till final year (2018). This is so sad,” another Twitter user, Rock added.
SaharaReporters had also reported how an undergraduate student of the University of Abuja, Cyprian Igwe, was rusticated by the university authorities for calling for a meeting and demonstration against the recent hike in school fees.
Igwe had urged his colleagues in a message posted on its WhatsApp group to protest against the hike in school fees.
According to the report, Igwe had said, “Good evening, house. We will be having a meeting tomorrow by 6:00 pm in regards to school fees, let’s know our way forward. I am deeply in pain, many students can’t pay, I hope the SUG President is in this group. I need everyone’s ideas.
“I’d rather risk my life, my admission than seeing thousands of students drop out. If the spirit of Aluta lives in us, it has to wake up. Please be part of this meeting.”
Getting wind of the planned protest against the hike in school fees, the university authorities slammed Mr Igwe and one other student, Olamilekan Oladeru a “rustication letter” accusing them of circulating an "inciteful press release".
The major cause of the continual increment of tuition fees by the publicly owned universities in Nigeria may not be unconnected to the poor funding on the educational sector by the government, particularly the immediate past Buhari Government.
All the budgetary allocations by the Buhari Government for the period of eight years fall short of the 15-20 per cent recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
IN 2023, the government proposed the highest budgetary allocation for education by pegging  N1.79 trillion for the sector, representing about 8.8 per cent of the total N20.5 trillion proposal.
Meanwhile, according to some sect of the public, the recent hike in school fees nationwide in Nigeria was due to the passage of a students’ loan bill which was recently passed by the new government of Bola Tinubu.
The bill was signed in "fulfilment of one of his campaign promises to liberalise education funding," according to Dele Alake, a member of the Presidential Strategic Team, on Monday evening.
A Twitter user, who simply identified himself as Prince Shedrack said the new increment in school fees of Nigerian Federal Universities was one of the expected impacts of Student Loan Bill.
“When I said on this Bird that the student loan comes with consequences, someone was attacking me. Now, here it goes,” he wrote.
Another user, @GoodnessMadume1 opined that the current situation in the country will lead to a continual increase in the rate of illiterates in the country.
He said, “The number of out-of-school children will definitely increase cos how many parents can afford to pay this high tuition fees for a Federal school.”