Outrage as Niger varsity increases tuition by 100%

The 100 per cent increase in the tuition of the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University (IBBU) Lapai has been greeted with outrage by parents, student associations, Niger Assembly and other stakeholders.

The university, in a circular on Tuesday by its Registrar, Mohammed Abdullahi, said the Governing Council during its 50 Regular meetings on June 13, approved the reviewed fees effective from the 2020/2021 academic session.

The fees for returning students, who are indigenes, was increased from N27, 500 to N62, 927 and new students would pay N129, 675.

Returning students who are non-indigenes would pay N117, 325 while the new students from other states would pay N201, 210.

Niger Assembly, at its plenary on Thursday, summoned the management of the University to appear before the Committee on Education to explain the recent increase in tuition fees.

Raising the issue under the matters of public importance, the member representing Bida II Constituency, Alhaji Mohammed Haruna, said the increase was wrongly timed when families are battling with the economic aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaker Abdullahi Bawa directed the Senate and Governing Council of the university to appear before the committee to explain why the university increased the tuition fees.

The National Association of Niger State Students (NANISS) planned a protest on Friday to the Government House to register displeasure over the increase.

On his Facebook page, Senator Shehu Sani stated that the increase in tuition should be condemned, adding it was a ploy to deny the masses the opportunity to tertiary education.

He said: “The increase in the tuition fees for the students of the State-owned IBB University Lapai Niger state stands unreservedly condemned. It is sad that the people in Government today who once in their life history benefitted from the generosity and welfare of the Nigerian state are now denying the same for the new generation.”

(The Nation)