“Nigerian Students demand sack of UNILAG, OAU VCs over ‘outrageous’ fee hike
SAHARA REPORTERS
The National Association Of Nigerian Students (NANS) has told President Bola Tinubu to sack all the Vice Chancellors of publicly owned universities that recently increased the tuition fees unjustifiably.
The call was made in a press statement on Wednesday issued by Akinteye Afeez Babatunde, President of the Senate, NANS Headquarters and obtained by SaharaReporters.
The students’ association accused the Vice Chancellors of deliberately sabotaging the effects of the Students Loan Scheme implemented by President Bola Tinubu.
The statement identified the Vice Chancellors of University of Lagos (UNILAG), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), and the University of Ibadan (UI) as the most guilty of “these senseless actions.”
The statement said: “It has come to our attention that these Vice Chancellors are hatching plans that will undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s noble objective of providing accessible education through the Student Loan Scheme.
“This scheme was meant to offer relief to students and their families by addressing the financial constraints faced by many Nigerian students in accessing quality education.
“However, instead of working in harmony with this initiative, the leadership of certain institutions has chosen to pursue reckless fee hikes that will inevitably discourage students from benefiting from the loan scheme. These planned increases are not only insensitive but also represent a deliberate attempt to sabotage the future of Nigerian students.”
Therefore, the students body urged President Tinubu to urgently investigate this anti-student agenda and take decisive action by sacking these Vice Chancellors who are determined to obstruct educational progress.
The statement continued: “Any such move to inflate fees under the guise of institutional development or financial constraints is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the Nigerian student body.
“We also call on all well-meaning Nigerians, parents, and education stakeholders to join us in resisting these oppressive and senseless fee increments. Education should be made affordable and accessible to all, not used as a tool for exploitation.
“We remain committed to defending the interests of Nigerian students and ensuring that the Student Loan Scheme is successfully implemented without unnecessary hindrances.”
THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN SAHARA REPORTERS
