The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) took to the streets on Friday to protest against the alarming 300% increase in school fees at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, situated in Edo State.
The student body gathered at the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State Council, to demand the immediate reversal of the fee hike and the removal of the acting vice-chancellor, Prof Sonnie Adagbonyin.
Vanessa Egheahie, NANS Vice President of Intercampus Affairs, passionately voiced the concerns of students from poor backgrounds, asserting that the state government should revert to the previous fee structure.
She threatened that if the demands were not met, NANS would relocate its headquarters to the university, ensuring the enforcement of the reversal. Egheahie strongly highlighted the inability of financially disadvantaged students to accommodate the exorbitant new charges.
She further disclosed that under the new fee regime, law students would be burdened with paying N741,500 (previously N185,000), while medical science students would face a staggering N638,000 fee (previously N216,000).
The shocking increase of over 360% has left the student community in anger and disbelief. Egheahie firmly stated that those with the authority to raise fees should be those who have made substantial improvements to the university infrastructure.
Isaac Ogieva, the Secretary General of NANS, Zone B, expressed their previous attempts to reason with the authorities. He revealed that they had requested consideration for financially vulnerable students, as many of them fund their education entirely. Graduates are already unsure about securing employment prospects after completing their studies, making it impractical for financially limited parents to come up with sums like N700,000 or N600,000 for school fees.
