The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has given the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, a five-working-day ultimatum to reverse the recent increase in tuition fees, threatening to mobilise students for mass protests if the directive is not obeyed.
The association also urged students of the institution to suspend further payments pending the reversal of the increment, which it described as unjustifiable and insensitive to the prevailing economic challenges confronting Nigerian students and their families.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC), Ekiti Axis, and jointly signed by its Chairman, Comrade Yekeen Toheeb; General Secretary, Comrade Olumorin Folafoluwa; and Public Relations Officer, Comrade Ekundayo Goodluck.
NANS expressed strong opposition to the fee increase, insisting that the management must restore the previous fee structure without resorting to partial reductions, temporary adjustments or alternative arrangements.
“We therefore give the management five-working-day ultimatum from the issuance of this statement to reverse the increased fees and restore the previous fee structure. Failure to comply will compel NANS JCC, Ekiti Axis, to mobilise students for lawful mass action and other legitimate forms of protest,” the statement read.
The students’ body further urged the management to take responsibility for the financial implications of its decision and ensure that students were not subjected to additional economic hardship.
Explaining its position, NANS argued that the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, as a federal institution, should provide access to higher education at affordable costs, warning that the reported increase of more than 15 per cent in payable fees could further burden students and their parents.
The association maintained that education remained a critical instrument for bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, warning that making higher education unaffordable to disadvantaged Nigerians could have negative consequences for the country’s future.
NANS also raised concerns over the possible implications of the increment for students who had registered for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme based on the institution’s previous fee structure.
According to the association, affected students had made financial plans and commenced their loan applications based on the earlier charges, adding that the sudden increase could expose them to additional financial obligations they might be unable to meet.
It warned that the development could disrupt the loan disbursement process and undermine the objective of NELFUND, which was established to ease the financial burden of higher education on students and their families.
The association further faulted the management for allegedly failing to adequately consult the Students’ Union leadership before implementing the new fees.
It stressed that students, as the direct beneficiaries of the institution’s educational services, should be involved in decisions affecting their financial obligations and access to education.
“NELFUND must not become a justification for imposing unexpected financial obligations on students, nor should the burden of institutional financing be shifted disproportionately onto students and their struggling families,” the statement added.
Pending the reversal of the increase, NANS directed students to suspend payments and await further instructions from the association’s leadership on the next line of action.
It also urged students to remain united, disciplined and resolute, warning that any attempt to intimidate, threaten or victimise students for complying with the directive would attract an appropriate response from the student movement.
The association called on the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Education and NELFUND management to intervene and ensure that policies designed to support students were not undermined by additional financial burdens.
Reaffirming its position, NANS insisted that the increased fees must be reversed, maintaining that students’ financial circumstances should not be disregarded and that access to higher education must not be compromised by what it described as an unjustifiable increase.
