Kogi varsity justifies fee hike with N536.7m student loans

Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, has defended its fee increase, saying 4,032 students have secured N536.7 million in loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to cover their tuition.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Salisu Usman, disclosed this on Tuesday while defending the university’s fee review before an investigative hearing organised by the Kogi State House of Assembly in Lokoja.

The hearing followed a petition accusing the managements of PAAU and Kogi State Polytechnic of arbitrarily increasing students’ fees.

Usman said the review was not arbitrary but followed a Kogi State Government directive issued in 2024 to harmonise fees across its three state-owned universities.

He said the revised charges were comparatively lower than those of similar institutions in neighbouring states.

The vice-chancellor explained that much of the controversy surrounding the increase involved medical programmes, including Medicine and Surgery, Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science, which require substantial funding, particularly for clinical training.

He said another 600 students had pending NELFUND applications, urging students to take advantage of the scheme.

According to him, the loan programme also provides beneficiaries with a N20,000 monthly upkeep allowance, while repayment begins two years after graduation once they secure gainful employment.

Usman commended his predecessor, Prof. Marietu Tenuche, for restoring the university’s medical programmes, which collapsed in 2012. He also praised former Governor Yahaya Bello for supporting stranded medical students and Governor Ahmed Ododo for sustaining medical education in the state.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, said the government followed due process in reviewing the fees, taking into account prevailing economic realities and the interests of parents and students.

Jones said the directive was issued to PAAU in 2024 but was inconsistently implemented across departments, prompting the government to insist on full compliance.

NELFUND introduces token system to stop students’ double payment of fees

He dismissed claims that Kogi State Polytechnic had increased its fees, saying the institution’s rector had instead reduced accommodation charges by N5,000.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Idris Maikudi, said the Assembly directed relevant committees to investigate the petition and compare the institutions’ charges with those of neighbouring states.

A lawmaker representing Ogori-Magongo, Bode Ogunmola, called for sustained government support for medical education, lamenting that the only general hospital in his constituency had operated for years without a doctor due to personnel shortages.

Another lawmaker, Jibril Abu, representing Ajaokuta Constituency, expressed concern over the absence of the petitioners at the hearing.

He also commended President Bola Tinubu for introducing NELFUND to expand access to higher education.