Crowdfunding, unions, religious groups help students with fees

Amid tuition fee hikes of 80% to 400% since 2023 at universities across Nigeria – and more expected in 2025 – many students, in particular those at government-subsidised institutions, now count on crowdfunding as well as goodwill gestures from academics and religious groups to raise the money they need to study.

The spikes in tuition fees are a symptom of worsening inflation rates and its attendant widespread hardship, which has impacted over 133 million, or 63%, of the population in Nigeria – in particular, the poor.

Some students’ bad financial situations were further worsened this year because the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which is supposed to be a lifeline to students, has not been distributing monthly allowances or stipends of NGN20,000 (about US$12.9) or loan payouts (tuition fees as determined by individual institutions plus the monthly NGN20,000 allowance) on time to all students. By December, some were still waiting for their payouts.

President of the National Association of Nigerian Students Pedro Obi said the prospect of school fee hikes in the next academic session, or semester, is high because the managements of higher education institutions are trying to increase their internally generated revenue. They have been struggling with basic operating costs due to the poor economy.

“The managements are taking undue advantage of the student loan to increase school fees arbitrarily. Truly, the cost of running schools is increasing, but the managements should put a human face to it. The minister of education needs to wade in to avoid further hikes in school fees,” Obi urged.

How to raise tuition fees

Earlier this year, the student association at the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria’s premier university, launched a crowdfunding drive on social media for hundreds of indigent students who had not fully paid their school fees or could not afford them at all.

The UI Students’ Union Government (SUG) solicited NGN50 million (about US$32,150) for 500 poor students on X.

Damilola Aweda, the president of SUG, told University World News at the time that the fate of many students was uncertain.

“We are trying our best to rally support for the students. Many students applied for the student loan and got approval, but the funds have not been disbursed to the school. We have been able to get NELFUND to address the situation so that the majority of the students can pay their school fees,” Aweda said.

The university authority later extended the payment deadline to allow 3,283 students whose loan applications have been approved to sit for exams.

Academics to students’ rescue

Lecturers who are members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have also come through to support financially struggling students.

For instance, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch of ASUU awarded scholarships to 10 brilliant students who were at risk of dropping out due to lack of funding.

Professor Kayode Adebayo, the ASUU chairman at UNILAG, said the scholarships were in addition to the NGN200,000 the national leadership of the union gave two students at each of the 125 government-run universities across Nigeria.

“We are acting in furtherance to the directive by our national secretariat to recognise the academic achievements of indigent students by providing them with the opportunity to continue their education without financial impediments.

“We believe that it is important for all Nigerian students to have access to quality tertiary education, and that is why the union would rather canvass for grants and not loans for students to effectively accomplish their academic careers,” the Union Chairman at the Federal University of Technology Akure, Professor Pius Mogaji, stated.

Gestures by religious bodies

Several poor students have equally banked on gestures from religious organisations to stay in school. In July, the Chapel of Redemption, a non-denominational chaplaincy at the Rivers State University in southern Nigeria, paid the school fees of 40 poor students.

The chaplain of the church, Rev Maxwell Ehirim, said the scholarship was instituted when the church realised that many parents could not pay their wards’ school fees because of the harsh economic situation in the country.

“We need to assist some members of the church who are studying at the university. As a church, we don’t only indulge in prayers; we also take care of our members’ welfare to make life easier for them,” he said.

Similarly, the Islamic Society of Eggonland in north-western Nigeria’s Nasarawa State awarded 857 scholarships, mostly to indigent students, for the 2023-24 academic session. The beneficiaries comprised 546 Muslims and 208 Christians studying for their first degree, masters, and PhD as well as those in polytechnics and colleges of education.

Late NELFUND payments

Students have called on the Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to pay them timeously, in particular because of the dire economic circumstances.

Abass Rabiu Gulani, a first-year chemistry student at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, told University World News earlier this semester that he applied for a student loan due to economic hardship in order to complete his education. He noted at the time he was interviewed that though he was shortlisted, he had not received the NGN20,000.

“The pocket money sent from home is not enough. It [lack of funds] affects me badly. The month ends, and I have to go to classes with an empty stomach because the foodstuff and pocket money are finished,” Rabiu said.

Usman Akikumi, a fifth-year law student at Bayero University, Kano, told University World News that he, also, did not receive his NGN20,000 monthly allowance each month.

He added that many parents are aware of the loan and have stopped sending money from home, and prices of goods have skyrocketed.

Ikpechi Johnson, a third-year electrical and electronic engineering student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, said he has not heard anything about the stipend, despite being shortlisted for the loan, adding that the school management has not refunded his school fees, despite disbursing it for some students.

Osoyemi Oluwatuyi, the director of corporate communications at the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), spoke to University World News in the middle of the semester in response to the students’ claims that the disbursement of stipends [or monthly allowances] had not begun.

She urged students to be patient, assuring them that they would receive their stipends.

“Our responsibility is to pay school fees and stipends for approved students. We don’t have direct dealings with students or institutions; they send us a breakdown of school fees, and we process the payments,” she explained.

However, students told University World News in December that they have not received all their payouts.