No federal university in the nation is permitted to impose tuition fees on its students, according to the federal government.
This was stated by Mr. David Adejo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, in Abuja during a public hearing on student loans by the House of Representatives ad committee.
Adejo referred to the nation’s federal colleges’ recent rise in fees as regrettable.
“They levy fees to cover costs associated with lodging, ICT, and power, among other things. Such fees may be approved for them by the Governing Councils of the Universities.
“The University of Lagos is the only institution that raised fees following the signing of the Student Loan Act.
“They requested an increase in their fees from the Ministry because all governing councils had been disbanded, and we granted their request.
“Immediately that was done, there was a resolution from the House stopping increase I fees, and the President also gave a directive stopping any increase in fees, and that is where it is, even though several others have brought their proposal,” the man stated.
According to Adejo, the institutions’ fees were used to cover the costs of certain of their services, including the electricity bills.
He disputed assertions that some of the increase in university fees was caused by the passage of the Students Loan Act.
Adejo claimed that despite the fees, the universities have struggled to cover part of their costs.
He claimed that arrangements had been made for the start of the student loan programme in the academic year 2023–2024.
According to Adejo, President Bola Tinubu issued a directive stating that all necessary work must be finished on the start-up requirements for the plan in order for it to launch in September.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. Teseer Ugbor, stated that the student loans were a component of the federal government’s palliative measures to lessen Nigerians’ suffering and to ensure that all motivated Nigerians had access to higher education.
However, he expressed worry about the loan disbursement procedure, recovering the monies from beneficiaries, and the likelihood that some students would not be able to obtain the loan.
In an effort to change the law so that all Nigerian students interested in the loan might take advantage of it, he called for conversation.
