On Tuesday morning, students from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, South-West Nigeria, demonstrated outside the main entrance of the institution to call for an immediate decrease in the increased tuition.
This was confirmed by a leader of the university’s student body to SaharaReporters, who also noted that during the protest, the students locked the campus gate.
The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University announced an increase in tuition rates in September, according to SaharaReporters.
The increased costs were made public in a statement issued by the school administration in a post on X, formerly Twitter, during a period of rising inflation and increases in gasoline prices as a result of the loss of the nation’s fuel subsidies.
Depending on the courses taken and the academic standing of the students, the new fees range from N89,000 to N190,000.
Depending on their degree of study, returning students used to pay between N19,000 and N31,000, while new students paid between N70,000 and N100,000.
The post reads:
“The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has announced adjustments to the fees payable by students for the upcoming academic year.
“The adjustments were considered and approved at an emergency meeting of the University Senate held on Tuesday, 12th September 2023.
“The new fee structure for the various Faculties is as follows: Faculties of Arts, Law, and Humanities: Freshers: N151,200, Returning students: N89,200. Faculties of Technology and Science: Freshers: N163,200, Returning students: N101,200. Faculties in the College of Health Sciences and Faculty of Pharmacy: Freshers: N190,200, Returning students: N128,200. The University management wishes to reiterate that these adjusted fees are applicable for an academic session.”
The development had come barely two weeks after another federal university – University of Lagos – increased tuition fees.
UNILAG fees were increased from about N20,000 to over N100,000 depending on the course of study.
Nigeria’s first university, University of Ibadan, also recently announced increment in tuition fees.