Fee Hike: UNILAG urged to form joint committee

The University of Lagos Management has been asked to establish a joint committee consisting representatives of the management, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Students, and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

This demand was made by the Students’ Solidarity Group Against Fee Hike (SSGAFH) during a meeting between university management and students. The meeting was held at 3:03pm on the 3rd of August 2023.

The group made a resolution for the committee available to SaharaReporters on Thursday.

It says the committee “shall examine University financing, the workability of the management’s palliative program, the number of students it can cover, and forthwith recommend to University administration through its report if an increment is necessary, and to what extent.”

The delegation requested for the immediate restoration of the Students’ Union, a comprehensive and complete reversal of the fee increment.

Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, who led the management team brought attention to causes for the school fees hike. She also pointed out the lack of funding by the Federal Government and other sundry issues.

She explained to the delegation that the University’s expenses cannot be covered by the N21,000 paid by students. Expressing her displeasure of the economic realities faced by the university, she further stated that exam costs had increased drastically.

According to her, the University spends roughly N2 billion annually on electricity bills and N10 million monthly to give students access to the internet on campus.

She claimed that “if the institution didn’t subsidise the costs from its IGR (Internally Generated Revenue), no student would pay less than N300,000. She claimed that the University pays an electrical cost of N80,000,000 per month when students are off campus but between N160,000,000 and N180,000,000 when students are on campus. She added that if the fee is reversed, the University will close down.”

The delegation opposed her approach, adding that students and parents, including members of staff, shouldn’t be pressured to carry the cost of the Federal Government’s irresponsibility to fund education.

The student delegate advised the management to abide by President Tinubu’s order to halt arbitrary fee increments. They also highlighted that the recent declaration by the Federal Government, expected to save over 1 trillion naira in two months, has been promised to be utilised for educational and health funding.

The meeting was attended by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, and the management team which had the Deputy VC (Management), University Registrar, University PRO, Dean of Student Affairs, Chief Security Officer, and other members of the University Security Unit.

The students’ delegates included “NANS PRO, Comrade Giwa Yisa Temitope, Comr. Kazeem Olalekan (former NANS Zone D PRO), Juwon Sanyaolu (Students’ Solidarity Group- rep), Duro Rike (Students’ Solidarity Group-rep), Management Science Students’ Association President-elect, Isaac Toriola (UNILAG), Faculty of Education Students’ Association President-elect, Ibrahim Balogun (UNILAG), Phillip Olatinwo (UNILAG), Modupe (UNILAG), Adewale Fashola (UNILAG), Oluwakemi Oyelumade (UNILAG).”

The Vice-Chancellor agreed to discuss the delegation’s recommendations with an expanded management team and assured them of reconvening another meeting soon to address the matter further