By: Ochi Maduabuchi

The Action Committee, convened at a Congress of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union, on Tuesday, 16th April, 2024, has warned against attempts to inflate fees at the University of Ibadan.

The Committee, through its circulated release, on Thursday, 18th April, 2024, undersigned jointly by members of the Committee, has demanded that the University of Ibadan management should retract its plan to hike fees for fresh students.

Highlighting its demands, the Committee, which was tasked with the duty to sensitise, mobilise and coordinate actions against fee increment, called for a ‘retraction of hiked fees on fresh students’ portals’ as well as an ‘adequate, with minimum of 26% budgetary allocation to public education’.

The Action Committee, also, has called on students, the University of Ibadan Alumni network, parents, staff Unions and the Nigerian public to play active roles in resisting attempt to hike, commercialise or reduce education to a commodity.

“We, by the release, implore the generality of students, approximately 41,269, the alumni network, parents, staff unions such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), Senior Staff Academic Union of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), other sister unions, pro-education groups,band members of the general public, to work hand in hand with the University of Ibadan Students’ Action Committees, in a bid to resist attempt to hike, commercialise or commodify education,” the release stated.

Pledging its commitment, the Action Committee noted that education remains a right of every Nigerian, and would, on such basis, take on the responsibility to resist the hike with the consciousness that the committee can only be disbanded by a Congress of students.

“The Congress is the highest decision making organ of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union. Recognising every Nigerian fundamental right to education, we demand that the management of the University of Ibadan rescind on its attempt to raise fees and on the government to fund education adequately.”