By Adedoyin Falolu
As a fall out of the meeting of the University of Lagos Management with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has led to a review of its new fees.
Professor Folasade Ogunsola, Vice-Chancellor had met with the student leaders on Thursday led by the President of NANS, Usman Barambu, and the meeting was part of efforts to address the lingering crisis over the fees.
The university had increased fees from N26,000 and about N76,000 to between N120,750 and N240,250 respectively for Non-Science and Science.
According to a statement released by the institution announced the reduction of the obligatory fees for students, utility bills, convocation fees and others.
The statement further read that the utility charges for all categories of students have been reduced to N15,000 from N20,000 and convocation fees to be paid by all final-year students were reduced to N27,000 from N30,000.
The obligatory fees for new undergraduate students were reviewed from N126,325 to N116,325 for courses without lab/studio and N176,325 to N166,325 for courses with lab/studio.
Also, the obligatory fees for returning undergraduate students were reviewed from N100,750 to N80,750 for courses without lab/studio; N140,250 to N120,250 for courses with lab/studio; and from N190,250 to N170,250 for medical / pharmacy students and students in health professions.
The hostel fees were also reviewed. for undergraduate hostels in the Akoka and Yaba campuses, the fees were reduced to N43,000 from N90,000; for hostels in Idi-Araba campus, from N120,000 to N65,000; while the fees for Sodeinde Hall were reduced to N135,000 from N250,000.
Apart from the reversal of the obligatory fees, the university noted in the statement that the NANS President also demanded the reinstatement of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) in UNILAG.
According to the statement, Mr Barambu observed that the absence of SUG in UNILAG had adversely affected communication between the students and management.
He also noted that students would be able to channel their grievances appropriately through the SUG.
The vice-chancellor will commence the process of reinstating students’ union activities in the university, the spokesperson said.
It would be recalled that the university in 2016 dissolved the student union of the institution as a reaction to a protest by the students.
In an interview with a Student who preferred to be called his nickname “Melody” said the Students are still not okay with the amount slashed and will not back down on protest.
He said that instead for the University to interact with the students,it has been meeting with a faceless body called NANS whose executives are non Unilag students and many of them have graduated.
“They can’t feel our pain at all”,he said.
Another Student who preferred to be called her first name “Ope” said the University runs different programmes where they rake in money,the increase in Undergraduate fees is just an attempt by the VC to frustrate students by the suddenly increase.
Speaking further,she said how can Unilag increase Jaja Hall hostel fees when the place looks like a poultry. To catch diseases,just go and sleep in Jaja Hall adding that if the school is truly interested in increasing fees,it would renovate and make life better for the students population.