NANS Threatens Mass Protest Over Hike In Fees By Varsities

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to embark on a mass protest over what it called outrageous hike in school fees by the Universities for both new and returning students.

The National Vice President of the Association, Comrade Suleiman Sarki, stated this at a media briefing on Friday in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Comrade Sarki said the hike would particularly have a negative impact on students from the North-East region, who have been severely affected by 13 years of insurgency.

He said NANS had issued a week ultimatum to the management of University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) to rescind its decision or face a massive protest across the country.

Comrade Sarki said that the University of Maiduguri had increased its registration fee by 200 per cent, expressing concern that the outrageous fee could result in a mass dropout of students.

He said, “The recent hike in registration charges by some northeastern universities does not only come to us as a surprise but as an affront to the war against insurgency, such that students who are unable to pay the new fees might end up becoming drop out and this will add to the rising number of youth restiveness in the region,” Comrade Sarki lamented.

The NANS Vice President urged students not to pay the new registration charges but to await the outcome of NANS strategic action plan as the Association had commenced consultation with management of the University of Maiduguri.

He called on stakeholders in the education sector across the country to intervene by prevailing on the governing councils of Federal Universities to rescind their decision.

The Governing Council of UNIMAID had on December 1, 2022 approved the review of registration charges for undergraduate and postgraduate students following the rising cost of teaching and learning materials.