Students protest fee hike by Lagos college, give 48-hour ultimatum

Students of the Lagos State College of Health Technology have asked the management of the college to reverse a recent fee hike in 48 hours or face mass protests.

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In a statement signed by the president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Akolade Omotuyi, and the general secretary, Favour Animashaun, the students said the decision to issue the ultimatum was taken at a congress meeting held on 23 September.

The statement noted that the decision had been endorsed by presidents of eight departments, including Environmental Health Technology, Health Information Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, Pharmacy Technology, and Community Health Extension.

Others are Biomedical Technology, Complementary Health and Alternative Medicine, Biomedical Technology and Morbid Sciences.

Should the school management fail to rescind the fee hike in two days, the union warned of peaceful but sustained protests that may disrupt academic activities on campus.

“The students have unanimously declared the increment unacceptable and are demanding that the decision be immediately reviewed and reversed,” the statement said.

“We urge the management to consider the implications of this development and act swiftly in the interest of peace, academic progress, and mutual respect between the students and the administration.”

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‘Unfair increment’

The statement said the fee increment is unfair and insensitive to the economic hardships already faced by many families.

It noted that the hike has resulted in more than N50,000 in additional fees for students.

The students accused the management of the college of charging them for services that were not provided in the previous academic session.

Fee hike

Over time, there has been a growing list of Nigerian universities proposing or implementing fee hikes, sparking nationwide concern over the affordability of tertiary education in the country.

Several public institutions have increased charges, citing inflation and the high cost of maintaining facilities. These fee increases have led to widespread protests by the students.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the University of Ibadan suspended two of three students for four semesters after it accused them of gross misconduct for raising placards to protest a fee hike by the institution last year.

The university accused them of disrupting the swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected Student Union executives on 13 May, 2024.

The students maintained they had only raised placards that read ‘FEE MUST FALL’ without chanting or leaving their positions. The students were removed from the venue and the ceremony continued.

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Similarly, other universities, including the University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Maiduguri, University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ahmadu Bello University, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and the University of Abuja, have also announced similar fee increments.

These hikes have become a recurring issue, with university administrators arguing that the rising cost of running the institutions and inflation have made it impossible to sustain the old fee structures.

In some cases, students have organised demonstrations and shutdowns to resist these changes, but the financial pressures faced by universities have often led to management standing firm on the increments.