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Anger in the land: Frustration, outrage as FG, private schools increase tuition fees amid hardship

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While Nigerians are still trying to adjust to the present economic reality, the Federal Government and private school owners in some parts of the country, especially the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja and Lagos State have announced upward review of tuition fees.

The development has further worsened the frustration of Nigerians who have in the past few days lamented the unbearable hardship imposed on them owing to the removal of fuel subsidy.

The fuel subsidy removal which led to the astronomical hike in fuel price, has affected the price of other essential goods and services, including food items, transportation fare, and others.

Following the suspension of the subsidy payment announced by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, approved an upward review in the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise known as petrol nationwide.

The adjustment moved the pump price from N194 to as high as N557 and above.

While the widespread anger, frustration and uproar continue across the country with Nigerians figuring out means to survive, the Federal Government on Friday announced an upward review of tuition fee of all Federal Government Colleges, FGCs, also known as federal unity colleges from ₦45,000 to ₦100,000.

The latest development was contained in a directive from the Office of the Director of Senior Secondary Education Department of the Federal Ministry of Education.

The directive, which bears the reference number ADF/120/DSSE/I, was dated 25th May 2023 and addressed to all principals of Federal Unity Colleges across the country.

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The circular titled, “Approved fees/charges for Federal Unity Colleges (1st Term) for new students,” signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, indicated that new students would be paying ₦100,000 instead of the previous ₦45,000.

A few hours after the report emerged, the management of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State also announced the upward review of fees for undergraduate students in the institution.

According to reports, students of the institution who previously paid N19,000 will now be paying over a hundred thousand Naira subsequently.

It was learnt that the management has fixed new fees at N190,250 for students studying medicine, while for courses that require laboratory and studio, students are to pay N140,250.

It was also observed that some school owners in the FCT and Lagos State, particularly primary and secondary schools informed parents and guardians to prepare for a significant rise in fees when the next academic session begins in September.

Although the Public Relations Officer, FCTA Education, Mr Kabir Musa told DAILY POST on Saturday that the FCT Administration has no plan to increase tuition fees in Abuja, some private school owners have notified parents of possible upward review.

According to him, “we in the FCT have no plan to add even a Kobo to what students have been paying”.

Asked on what the FCTA would do regarding how some of the private school owners exorbitantly fix fees in Abuja, Mr Kabir lamented that “there are limits to which we can regularise the private schools in the city”.

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Proprietor of His Covenant Secondary School, Bwari Area Council Abuja, Mr Raymond Onuwa said on Saturday that the removal of subsidy on petrol had hit the education sector hard, stressing that the effects would be felt more in the months ahead.

He revealed that the school management had on Friday informed parents that the current tuition fee was no longer feasible, citing the cost of maintenance.

“This fuel subsidy has affected almost everything. And that includes the education sector too. Prices of textbooks and other essential teaching materials have increased.

“Most of our teachers are saying that they will not return next term and it’s all because of money. Their salaries cannot sustain them anymore because the price of food stuff and even transportation have increased.

“So what do we do? We have to increase their take-home and that means we have to increase the tuition fee too. This is the issue that parents fail to understand,” he said.

One of the parents who identified herself as Mrs Janet Amuta, told our correspondent that the only option for her and the family “is to stop the children from schooling.”

“We have three children and they are all in this school. Since they started school, we have been paying N40,000 for each student.

“I’m hearing that they are about to increase it to N70,000. Where are we going to get that from? We have not even completed the fees for this term. We only made part payment.

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“My husband is a security guard and he works in town. How much is he bringing home that will pay over N200,000 every term considering his transportation and other things? This may be the end of the road for my children”, she lamented.

Also reacting, National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke said that the sudden move to increase tuition fee was not a new thing.

According to him, the recently passed Student Loan Act was to prepare ground for the fee increments, stating that the union foresaw it and had been kicking against it.

He said, “We have said this thing several times in the past. We said the signing of the Student Loan Bill will lead to an increase in fees. There is nothing new. It is just what we have been saying.

“The idea for the loan was to prepare the ground for them to increase school fees. That was why they signed the bill. This is what we have been fighting for since 2017.

“When we were fighting against this, the students and parents were busy abusing us, so now, we will watch them. If the things are agreeable to the parents and students, let them go ahead.”

Asked if the union would kick against universities increasing tuition fees, Profesor Osodeke simply asked, “if the parents and students say they are comfortable with it, why are we going to fight it?”

 

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Two Oyo commissioner, special adviser resign

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Two senior officials in the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning have resigned their appointments from Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration.

The officials are Ayobami Ojo, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, and Simeon Oyeleke, the ministry’s Special Adviser on Budget and Economic Planning.

In separate letters dated November 2, and addressed to Mr Makinde, both officials said their resignations would take effect immediately, while thanking the governor for the opportunity to serve but did not give specific reasons for their decisions.

In his letter, Ojo referred to his appointment letter dated 22 June 2026 and formally announced his resignation as commissioner.

“With reference to your letter dated 22nd June, 2026 (SP.S.662/2/VOL.IV/192), I respectfully write to formally resign my appointment as Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, with effect from today, 2nd November, 2026,” he wrote.

He described his time in government as an honour and said he appreciated the opportunity to serve the state.

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Oyeleke also tendered his resignation with effect from 2 November.

In his letter, he thanked Mr Makinde for the confidence reposed in him and the opportunity to contribute to the administration’s policies and development programmes.

He also expressed appreciation for the governor’s leadership, support and encouragement during his time in office.

“I remain grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this administration and to have contributed to its laudable achievements. I also remain committed to the peace, progress and development of Oyo State,” he wrote.

The latest resignations come amid a series of exits of political appointees and other officials from the Makinde administration in recent months.

It would be recalled that Segun Ogunwuyi resigned as the governor’s chief of staff on 12 October, a position he had held since July 2021. His resignation took immediate effect, although he did not state a reason for his departure.

A few hours after Ogunwuyi’s departure, Makinde appointed Bashorun Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his replacement.

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On the same day, Tara Adefope, the Director-General of the Oyo State Due Process Office, also resigned from her position, while in late October, Kabiru Salami, the governor’s Executive Assistant on Security Coordination, also tendered his resignation.

Other officials who have left the administration include Funmi Arulogun, a Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters, who resigned in August, citing personal and political considerations.

Babatunde Oduyoye, a member of the Oyo State Advisory Council, also resigned in July, while Fatai Owoseni, a former Commissioner of Police who served as the governor’s Special Adviser on Security resigned in May.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: Campaigns: OK Movement insists on independence

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1. The OK (Obi/Kwankwaso) Movement has declared that it will maintain its independent identity while mobilising support for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election. 

Movement’s leader John Ughulu said the group remained committed to its original mission of securing the election of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and erstwhile Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Speaking in an interview, Ughulu dismissed suggestions that the movement’s decision to campaign independently would undermine its support for the NDC, insisting that the focus should be on achieving a common  political objective.

2. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid got a big boost at the weekend with endorsements from across the country. His achievement, the need for consolidation, national cohesion, and other reasons were adduced for the show of solidarity. The presidential election is billed for January 16, 2027

3. The Federal Government has vowed to crack down on inflated public contracts and procurement violations, warning heads of government-owned agencies, corporations, councils, authorities and commissions that they risk sanctions for breaching procurement regulations. The government raised the alarm over contract awards that exceed approved price benchmarks.

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4. The African Democratic Congress has rescheduled its presidential campaign kick-off in Sokoto State to Wednesday, November 4, despite alleging threats, attacks on its members and attempts by the state government to frustrate the event. The party said its decision to proceed with the campaign was a demonstration of its determination to exercise its constitutional rights despite what it described as growing political intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

5. Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised four leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province, including two Arabs, a commander and several of their foot soldiers in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. The Army said they were neutralised on October 31, 2026, by combined troops of the Joint Task Force deployed to Kukawa following a massive ISWAP terrorists attack on their locations.

6. United States President, Donald Trump, has agreed to grant an immediate visa to the mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy shot dead in New York, following a request by the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani announced the development on Saturday after speaking with Trump, saying the visa would allow the teenager’s mother to travel to the United States and attend her son’s funeral.

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7. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two Nigerians based in Europe after they allegedly ingested 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46kg while attempting to travel from Abuja to Paris, France. The suspects, identified as Aliocus Odife and Sam Blackborn, were arrested on Wednesday during the outward clearance of an Air France flight, AF 832, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

8. Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 100-level female student of Plateau State University, Bokkos, while another person sustained injuries during an attack on off-campus student residential areas in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. It was learnt that the incidents, which occurred on Saturday evening at about 8:40pm, had heightened concerns over the safety of students residing outside the university campus.

9. An early-morning fire outbreak at the weekend destroyed no fewer than 110 buildings and structures at Kofar Ruwa Timber Market in the Kano metropolis. The Kano State Fire Service, while confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, said the inferno razed 75 permanent buildings and 35 temporary structures across different sections of the market.

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10. The immediate past National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has declared his readiness to align with President Bola Tinubu or former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while ruling out support for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.

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Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

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Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

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“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

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