ERC Condemns Fee Hike at OAU Ile Ife

Press Statement

We Commend Students Union Leadership for Rejecting the Hike and Urge them to Mobilise Students for Mass Actions

The Education Rights Campaign strongly condemns the planned increment in school fee by the authorities of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife. According to a statement issued by the Students’ Union of the university, the management plan to increase sundry charges by 50 per cent and accommodation fees by 100 per cent.

We in the ERC reject this increment given the present monumental economic hardship to which a vast majority of Nigerians have been subjected to by the Tinubu government through its anti-poor neo-liberal policies. Many students have not even gotten over the pain from the outrageous fee hike that was imposed last year by the university. Besides, there is nothing to show fundamentally for the last increment in terms of improvement in learning conditions and general welfare.

We commend the resolve of the students’ union leadership, as contained in their statement, to “vehemently oppose this drastic and rash increment in fees” and to “continue to advocate for a total reversal of this decision”. However, to defeat the planned increment, the union has to be prepared to mobilise and organise students for a series of mass activities. These include regular Congresses to democratically take decisions, mass symposia and peaceful mass protests and lecture boycotts. The union should also embark on a media campaign in order to mobilise public support for the struggle and also seek solidarity of staff unions in the university. We of the ERC have committed ourselves to joining the union and students in this struggle.

We also urge the leadership of the union and students of OAU, nay across the country, to be part of the growing movement against anti-poor policies of Tinubu governmenv, which have had a devastating effect on the living standards and have truly also increased the cost of running universities. However, at the same time students must resist any attempt to make them to pay for the failure of the government to adequately fund public education. As far as we are concerned, it is the responsibility of the nation through its collective wealth to make public education accessible to everyone irrespective of their economic status.

However, the problem is not just of poor funding, there is also corruption and avoidable waste in the management of universities. This is why we of the ERC also regularly call for democratic management of schools to involve elected representatives of staff unions and students as a measure that could, among other things, ensure judicious use of their allocation and finances.

By and large, we believe that Nigeria has the resources to provide free education at all levels along other basic needs such as functional health care, potable water, sanitation, etc. The problem is capitalism and corruption which make it possible for a few to amass and loot collective wealth of the country at the expense of majority. This is why we of the ERC in addition to campaign for adequate funding of public education also support the building of a mass movement to overthrow capitalism and enthrone a socialist Nigeria. We call on students who are interested in the struggle for a better education sector and society to join the ERC.

Isaac Ogunjinmi
Deputy National Coordinator
Education Rights Campaign (ERC)
0813 705 1249