He faulted claims that the signing of the Student Loan Act was responsible for some of the hikes in university charges.
The Nigerian Government says that federal universities are not allowed to charge tuition fees.
It, however, noted that the schools are permitted to charge students fees for accommodation, power and information communication technology, among others.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr David Adejo, disclosed this at a public hearing by the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on student loans in Abuja, according to News Agency of Nigeria.
Condemning the wave of increments in charges by federal universities across the country, Adejo said only Governing Councils of the universities have the power to approve such charges for them.
He said, “What they collect are charges to cover the cost of accommodation, ICT, and power, among others.
“The only university that increased charges after the signing of the Student Loan Act is the University of Lagos.
“They came to the Ministry with a proposal to increase their charges because all Governing Councils were dissolved, and we gave them approval.
“Immediately that was done, there was a resolution from the House stopping any increase in fees, and the President also gave a directive stopping any increase in fees, and that is where it is, even though several others have brought their proposals,” he said.
Adejo said that the charges collected by the institutions were used to pay for some of their services, including electricity bills.
He faulted claims that the signing of the Student Loan Act was responsible for some of the hikes in university charges.
Adejo said that despite the charges, the universities had not been able to cover some of their expenses.
He, however, added that modalities had been put in place for the take-off of the student loan scheme in the 2023/24 academic calendar.
Adejo said President Bola Tinubu had given a directive that all necessary works must be completed on the modalities for the take-off of the scheme to enable it to kick-start in September.
The chairman of the committee, Teseer Ugbor, said the student loan was part of the palliatives provided by the government to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians and ensure access to higher education for interested Nigerians.
He, however, expressed concern over the disbursement process, recovery of funds from beneficiaries, and the possibility of some students not being able to access the loan.
He called for dialogue in the process of trying to amend the law to ensure that all Nigerian students interested in the loan benefit from it.