WYSN request hitch of over 500% school fees hike in UNILAG

An official demand for the immediate reverse of the most recent “over 500 percent” increase in school fees enforced by the University of Lagos, Lagos State, on its students has been made by the Workers and Youths Solidarity Network (WYSN), a Nigerian workers solidarity group.

The group’s secretary, Damilola Owot, issued a statement in which she strongly denounced the fees increase as an act of “cruelty, insensitivity, and callousness.”

WYSN expressed its opposition to the university administration’s and the Nigerian University Commission’s (NUC) plan to charge students exorbitant tuition in order to make up for the inadequate government funding of education.

The group urged the university administration and other tertiary institutions to apply for government funding rather than burdening already struggling students and regular citizens with more hardships. Additionally, they issued a call for unity to protect Nigeria’s education system from impending collapse, addressing students, unions, staff, and the general public.

Students protested against similar fee increases at the Universities of Abuja and Benin, and WYSN highlighted those incidents. They also criticized the Students’ Loan program as being harmful to everyone’s access to higher education.

The group blamed the government, specifically the federal government led by Tinubu/the APC, for consistently underfunding education. They emphasized that in order to successfully fend off attacks on education and defend a free, high-quality, and adequately funded public education system, students, workers, and parents must band together.

The current privatization and commercialization approach, according to WYSN, would only worsen people’s living conditions and increase insecurity throughout the nation.

WYSN stressed that education is an essential tool for national development.

The declaration concluded by urging the administration of the University of Abuja to drop their plans to raise tuition fees and students at the University of Lagos to hold public gatherings and congresses to demand a reversal of the outrageous fee increase, better housing options, and adequate funding for public education.

A free and high-quality education was also sought after, and staff unions, groups, and individuals were all invited to participate.