The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has condemned the recent hike in school fees across public universities in Nigeria, saying they are outrageous.
In a statement issued in Lagos, the group said that this disheartening trend was not just a knife in the back of poor students and their families struggling amid grim economic conditions, but also a direct assault on the fundamental right to education as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Highlighting the arbitrary and recent increments in school fees by the administrations of the University of Lagos, University of Maiduguri, and the Obafemi Awolowo University, among others, CAPPA expressed dismay that these increases persist despite directives from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Ministry of Education to public tertiary institutions to refrain from imposing additional financial strains on students.
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According to the organization’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, “These astronomical fee increase have wrought devastating consequences already, with countless students being pushed out of the system, forced to watch their dreams crumble or resort to back-breaking, often perilous and mentally draining menial jobs to keep their academic hopes on life support.
Worse still, the government has failed to fulfill its commitment to alleviate the plight of impoverished Nigerian workers. The current minimum wage remains a pittance, yet to be increased despite repeated promises from state authorities. “This sad situation has further worsened the hardships of austerities and soaring living costs. To then expect already battered Nigerians to make additional sacrifices for their children’s education is to rub salt on an open wound,” the statement noted.
CAPPA noted that while university authorities offer flimsy excuses, alleging that the fee hikes are inevitable due to current economic realities, it categorically rejects the warped narrative.