Aftermath of students loan: Reps call for suspension of hike in tuition fees

Following the enactment of the Students Loan Act, several federal universities have begun increasing tuition fees, with some already announcing intentions to follow suit. However, the situation is not sitting well with federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives, who have called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to suspend the implementation of the increase in the tuition fees of universities.

The Reps passed the resolution after a motion moved by Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki, who noted that the universities that hiked their fees included Bayero University, Kano; the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; the University of Uyo; University of Maiduguri; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; the University of Benin; and Federal University, Dutse, among others.

Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki in his motion expressed concerns that the sharp hike in fees by the universities is coming amid the worsening poverty level in the country, inflation, high rate of unemployment, and the removal of petrol subsidy which has led to a hike in the price of petrol.

The lawmakers noted that the hike in tuition fees would cause disruptions for a number of students who could not afford the fees and that while many of them would be forced to defer their studies, others might drop out from school altogether.