Amidst growing economic challenges in the country, parents and educators have joined forces with students to protest the rising tuition fees that most universities across the nation are implementing.

This collective of lecturers, parents, and students has raised concerns about the potential mass exodus of students due to these fee hikes. In recent days, students from various universities have taken to the streets to voice their discontent with the surge in fees and additional charges.

For instance, on Tuesday, angry students from the University of Jos in Plateau State blocked the roads leading to their campus, demanding a reversal of the fee and levy increases imposed by the university. Similarly, on Wednesday, students from the University of Lagos staged a protest against the fee hike, marking the second such demonstration by UNILAG students.

These fee hikes began in some federal universities following the suspension of the eight-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in October 2022. Institutions such as the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare; University of Maiduguri; Federal University, Dutse; Federal University, Lafia; University of Uyo; and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, among others, implemented fee increases.

In 2023, Bayero University, Kano; University of Lagos, Akoka; University of Jos; and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, as well as the University of Nigeria Nsukka, have also announced fee increments. These universities have cited the rising costs of educational materials and the need for sufficient funding for their operations as reasons for these fee hikes.

Responding to these developments, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the National President of ASUU, criticized the fee increases, emphasizing that universities should not operate as profit-making enterprises. He pointed out that despite the Nigerian Constitution's provision for free education, parents are burdened with high costs. Osodeke argued that this situation arises from inadequate funding of the education sector in Nigeria, which, if not addressed, could lead to a high school dropout rate.

According to The Punch, Osodeke appealed to the Federal Government to prioritize education and increase funding for universities, as they are currently underfunded.

The don stated, “The university is not a commercial centre where you break even or not. The constitution says education should be free, but parents are already paying for the fee increment.

‘’Why is Nigeria not doing what other African countries are doing? The West African average says budgetary allocation for education should be between 15 and 20 per cent but here in Nigeria. We got just 3.8 per cent last year.

‘’No educational system will survive with this, and a lot of our students will drop out. We should not allow our children to become nuisances on the streets; the government should handle education the way it was done in the 70s and 80s.

‘’The N11m that the government gives the UNILAG for one month is not even enough to cover its electricity bill for that month, whereas senators earn more than this.

”The government should give priority to education at primary, secondary, and university levels. Go around, and you’ll see children roaming around; this is going to be a problem for our country in the future, while the children of the rich are paying millions to get an education outside the country.’’

Also reacting, the National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities ( SSANU ), Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, alleged that the government was not properly funding the universities and that without government funding, things wouldn’t be that easy.

He stated ‘‘The Government should prioritize its needs and let us know if it wants to have universities or close them down. If they don’t want universities to charge fees, they should fund them or close them down.

‘’The VCs are not happy to increase the fees, but they are forced to do so. The government should go back to the drawing board. The minister promised to hit the ground running, but till now, nothing has been done by the ministry, instead, they are trying to hit the heads of universities’ management against that of their students. The government should give universities funding.’’

Similarly, the National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria cautioned federal universities across the country against the fee hike.

The National President of the association, Haruna Danjuma, told the platform that the failure of the institutions to revert to the old fees would force many students out of school, leading to high crime rates.

Danjuma also called on President Bola Tinubu to finance the education sector with the money saved from the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol.

He said, “We are still waiting for what will be the outcome of Mr President’s directive on the increment in fees. Recall that even before the president’s directive, the National Assembly called for a halt in the increment of fees across federal universities.

‘’I’m however surprised that some of these universities are still increasing their fees. What we know is that before a university can announce a hike, they will get permission from the National Universities Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education.

“The hike is a threat to students and we as a body of parents are very much concerned. Our children are complaining. We have students that are also self- sponsored and are scared of dropping out of school.

‘’Further hikes and failure to reverse the current hike will force more students out of school, and this will lead to students turning to crimes such as ‘yahoo yahoo,’ kidnapping, among others.

“The government must do all it takes to address this matter. The money from the fuel subsidy should be used to finance education and attend to the needs of institutions and their staff. We also call on parents across states to continue to hold dialogues with these schools on the way forward.”