Naijafavourite
President Tinubu has directed all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to stop increasing tuition fees, a move that has received mixed reactions. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is pleased with the decision, while the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticized it, stating that the president is not addressing the universities’ most important needs. Tinubu has also approved the removal of restrictions on students’ loans and provided buses to students’ bodies. NANS sees this as an opportunity to protest any further fee increases, while ASUU argues that stopping fee hikes is not a solution without financial support from the government.
President Tinubu’s instruction to halt tuition fee hikes in tertiary institutions has elicited different reactions from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
While NANS expresses joy and satisfaction with this development, the Lagos State University chapter of ASUU argues that the president is neglecting the universities’ most important needs.
In a previous report, Naijafavourite mentioned that President Bola Tinubu directed all federal tertiary institutions to avoid arbitrary increases in sundry fees and defer further increases to reduce difficulties faced by parents and students.
According to his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, the president also approved the removal of all restrictions on students’ loans to ensure easy accessibility.
The president also directed the provision of buses to the students’ bodies of all universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across the country, aiming to alleviate the transportation cost burden on students.
Akinteye Afeez, the Vice-President of NANS, expressed happiness with the development, stating that students now have the power to shut down any school that increases fees or refuses to revert to the previous fee structure.
On the other hand, Professor Kayode Adebayo, the Chairman of ASUU at the University of Lagos, disagreed with this perspective, stating that the president’s directive to stop fee hikes does not solve the universities’ problems.
He emphasized that universities are not adequately funded by the federal government and argued that Tinubu should have announced financial subventions for universities instead of giving direct orders.
“I can’t say there is Eldorado in the announcement because it does not add up. If you say they should not charge mandatory fees, yet you didn’t plan to provide any subventions for the running of the universities,” Adebayo said.
