The Presidency has stated that Federal Universities in Nigerian remain tuition-free, adding that the hike in tuition fees by some universities as widely reported are “discretionary charges for hostel, accommodation, registration, laboratory and other charges”. This was made known on Wednesday in a statement issued by Dele Alake, the Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The statement reads, “It was widely reported earlier this week across some news media outlets that the Federal Government had increased tuition fees in federal universities in the country. These reports are inaccurate and not correct.
“We are aware that some universities have in recent weeks announced increase in the amount payable by students on sundry charges.
“However, the fact remains and we have confirmed that these are discretionary charges by each university for hostel accommodation, registration, laboratory and other charges. They are not tuition fees.
“Authorities of these universities even made this fact clear enough in explaining the rationale behind these new fees. For avoidance of doubts, federal universities in Nigeria remain tuition-free.”
Amid the rising cost of living and increasing inflation, last week, some federal varsities including the University of Lagos (UNILAG) announced the hike of fees for new and returning undergraduate students which led to an uproar on social media platforms.
