UNILAG increases fees by 400%

University of Lagos (UNILAG) has announced a 400% increase in tuition fees.

The school management disclosed this in a meeting it held on Thursday with the leadership of some staff unions, including the Senior Staff Association (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Technologists (NAAT).

The new fees regime with details is contained in a Minute of the Meeting issued and signed by Mr Akpan Obono Otu, who acted as the secretary of the meeting.

According to the management, from next academic session on October 3rd, returning students will now be paying between N100,750 and N190,250 depending on courses of study per session with medical and dentistry students paying the highest.

On the other hand, those who are coming in newly as undergraduates will be paying between N126,325 and N190,250, and this also depends on their courses of study.

The charges on hostel accommodation and various departmental levies are not captured in the above figures.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folashade Ogunsola, who chaired the meeting, offered some explanations why the fee increment for students is inevitable if UNILAG wants to continue to perform its mandates as an institution.

She cited, among others, the high costs of operations due to galloping inflation currently experiencing in the country particularly since the recent removal of subsidy on fuel by the Federal Government as reasons.

According to her, UNILAG has been running repeatedly a deficit budget to the tune of N1.2 billion in the last three years and can no longer cope particularly with the economic reality in the country.

She revealed that the normal annual income accruable to the university from its auxiliary funds stood at N5.6 billion, while its expenditure amounted to N6.8 billion, leaving a deficit of N1.2 billion annually.

She maintained that the university can no longer cope with the students paying the same fees they have been paying since 20 years ago, which is about N25,000 per session, hence the decision to jerk up the fees.

She noted that all stakeholders including students and staff unions were being carried along to arrive at the new fees regime.