TASUED Registrar, Chief Dapo Oke, said, “In the entire Southwest, which state university is charging as low as N100,000? We have been collecting N65,000, when some secondary school children pay N100,000 per term and there are three terms in a year. But our university students are paying as low as N65,000 for a whole year. Is that enough to buy laboratory equipment, to pay staff salaries or to run on diesel 24 hours?

“These are issues that necessitated the increase, and before we made the increase, we discussed it with the Student Union Government. We’ve made them realise it, but they would still make their complaints. We will listen to their complaints; we will inform the government. At the end of the day, we will conclude,” he said.

Oke maintained that TASUED could not afford to run inferior academic programmes, compared to what obtains in other universities.

“So, we have to charge economic fees. What we have charged is the barest minimum in reality with the existing market forces,” he said.

A source in FUTA, who craved anonymity told our correspondent that, “The University has inbuilt mechanism within the system to look into and build consensus on matters affecting students including charges. And that mechanism is working on this matter and consensus will be achieved.

Fees are mainly for student-related services which are sourced from the economy. And the costs of such goods and services provided by the university for the students will certainly be impacted by costs of good and services in the economy.”

Parents and students’ reactions

The National President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, said it waa unfortunate that parents and guardians have been burdened with increment in fees at this point in time.

“We all know what the economic situation in the country is. Things are expensive, the purchasing power of the people greatly reduced. In fact, most people cannot save anything from their incomes, as the incomes are not enough to sustain their families.

“With these fee increases here and there, many students will be forced to drop out. We are not in support of the increment. We have made our position known to the government and the Minister of Education promised that a government team will meet with us and other stakeholders, we are still waiting for them to call us for that meeting, “ he stated.

Mrs. Esther Danlami, whose child is at UNIJOS, noted, “Since the increment, it has not been easy for us. My husband is a retiree, I am a Primary School Teacher and we have three children in the university. With the current economic situation, we are in a very dire situation.”

Reacting to the gale of fee increment across the country, even after the FG said the schools should put that on hold, the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has condemned the proposed tuition fee increases by the management of the Federal University of Technology, Akure and the Federal College of Agriculture, also in Akure, Ondo State.

According to the Senate President of NANS, Comrade Akinteye Afeez, the development is unacceptable and could lead to students mobilising across the country to protest the development.

“The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) issues this stern statement to the Federal Government of Nigeria, demanding immediate intervention in the looming crisis surrounding tuition fee increment across educational institutions in the country.

“We, the leadership of NANS, stand united and resolute in our commitment to protecting the rights and interests of Nigerian students.

To this end, the recent proposals for tuition fee increases, notably from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), and Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA), are unequivocally rejected.

“It is disheartening and worrisome that despite the Federal Government’s explicit instructions against tuition fee hikes, certain Vice Chancellors and heads of institutions seem poised to defy these directives.

“This we find barbaric, therefore, we declare that if these institutions persist in their disregard for the government’s stance, NANS will mobilize Nigerian students nationwide to stage a relentless protest, stampede, and shut down the country until our demands are met.

“We emphasize that the implementation of the new budget for education is closely monitored by NANS, and any attempt to burden students with additional financial strain will be met with fierce resistance. Education is a right, not a privilege, and we will not tolerate any infringement upon the accessibility of quality education for the Nigerian student.

“Education is not a privilege reserved for a select few; it is an inalienable right that must be made available to every Nigerian, especially the common man. The proposed tuition fee hikes, as put forth by institutions like the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), and Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA), threaten to erode this fundamental right and push education beyond the reach of many.

“NANS vehemently rejects any policy that jeopardizes the accessibility of education to the common man. The negative effects of these tuition fee increments are far-reaching and have severe implications for our nation’s future.

“As fees skyrocket, many students, burdened by financial strain, will be forced to abandon their education. This tragic consequence will not only deprive countless individuals of their right to learn but will also exacerbate unemployment rates and drive some into criminal activities as a desperate means of survival.”