The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), South East Zone F, has strongly condemned the recent over 100 per cent increase in school fees at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), describing the development as outrageous, insensitive, and a direct assault on students’ right to accessible education.
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In a press release issued on Friday and signed by the Zone Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi, and the Secretary General, Comrade Ogba Lawrence, the student body said it received the development with “utmost dismay,” noting that the increment places an unsustainable financial burden on students and their families.
According to NANS, newly admitted students are now required to pay an acceptance fee of ₦50,000, with those who had earlier paid reportedly being asked to settle retroactive balances. The association further disclosed that tuition fees have risen sharply from about ₦122,000 to ₦243,900 for tuition alone, excluding accommodation, upkeep, and other essential costs.
The association stated that the hike constitutes a draconian policy capable of excluding thousands of brilliant but indigent students from the South East and other parts of the country from accessing quality education.
“NANS is constitutionally mandated to protect the social security and welfare of the student community, and this action by the UNN administration threatens that mandate,” the statement said.
Providing context to its response, NANS South East Zone F explained that it adopted a strategic and consultative approach rather than immediate protests. The body revealed that since December, it has engaged in fact-finding, consultations, and dialogue with relevant authorities, including raising the issue at the Expanded National Executive Council (ENEC) meeting in Abuja.
The ENEC meeting, according to the statement, doubled as a joint public hearing with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform. At the meeting, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, reportedly clarified that the new national tax reform law was neither designed to nor intended to trigger arbitrary tuition fee increases in tertiary institutions.
NANS noted that this assurance informed its national leadership’s decision to suspend a proposed nationwide protest, in the belief that students’ interests were being safeguarded.
“The action of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka administration therefore stands in stark contradiction to this federal assurance and represents an independent act of insensitivity,” the association stated.
Demands and Ultimatum
The immediate and total reversal of the recent fee increments, including both acceptance and tuition fees, to their previous levels.
The establishment of transparent and inclusive engagement mechanisms between management and the student community, to prevent unilateral decisions affecting student welfare and finances.
A firm commitment to improving student welfare across the UNN and University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC), particularly in the areas of infrastructure, security, and learning conditions.
The association issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Governing Council and management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to comply fully with these demands.
It warned that failure to do so by January 16, 2026, would result in what it described as “the greatest mass action the university has ever witnessed,” including a total shutdown of academic and administrative activities until its demands are met.
