FUTA Students Rejects School Fees Hike, says 300% is a lot

Recently, we wrote about the school fees in Federal universities and the change that has occurred over the years. It is quite a lot and the deductions were that most federal universities that used to pay about N20,000 - N25,000 now pay over a hundred thousand naira. 

On Monday, the 15th of January 2024 students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta moved en masse to protest against a 300% hike in the school fee rolled out by the school authorities. 

The students blocked all entrance into the school environment as early as 6:00 am; they blocked the bustling Akure-Ilesa highway and demanded an immediate rollback of the fee increase by the university administration.

While holding signs with different messages and singing supportive songs, the students affirmed that the administration must revert to the previous state. They warned that the protest would persist until the authorities reversed the decision. 

The students revealed that the school fees used to be N35,0000 and now the school is requesting that they pay N131,000 which some students may not be able to afford because the initial plan was to come to a school that allows students to pay less and affordable school fees. 

"it was unwise for the institution to make the move given the current economic challenges in the country," Comrade Olayemi Oluwasoromidayo, the student union president for FUTA said. 

The union president stated that the school fees had been raised to more than N200,000 for new students, and returning students, who used to pay N35,000, would now be charged N130,000.

He also mentioned that despite numerous meetings between the student body and the administration, the management remained unresponsive to their requests. Consequently, they opted to organize a protest. The president pointed out that the institution had implemented the last fee increase less than a year ago.

In response to all of these happening, the school management has moved the resumption till further notice and also mandated that all students who are currently in school vacate the environment while they try to restore peace and order. 

The school's director of corporate communications, Adebanjo Adegbenro had explained that the tuition is free but other miscellaneous and consumables cannot be overlooked and this has led to the increase in the amount of money each student will have to pay going forward. 

Read also: Types of Jobs you can do as a student in a Nigerian University 

"On the proposed new fees and charges, they are mainly for student-related services that are sourced from the economy. And the costs of such goods and services provided by the university for the students will certainly be impacted by the costs of goods and services in the economy," Adebanjo said 

“To ensure the smooth running of the university, certain consumables and payments for municipal services such as electricity, water, hostel maintenance and cleaning, and sundry other services are necessary, and the costs of providing the services have shot up, and the new charges are in response to this," the school director added. 

According to Adebanjo, the management emphasized that tuition remains cost-free for all students, and there is an internal mechanism in place to address and reach an agreement on student-related issues, including charges and fees. This mechanism is actively addressing the current matter, and an agreement will be reached.

While this is the development, if you are looking to move into the university this year, you may need to check for universities that suit your budget before filling out your JAMB form. 

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