The Vice-Chancellor of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Prof. Salisu Usman, has called on students to embrace the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a cushion for the institution’s recent fee adjustment.
Usman made the appeal on Tuesday in Lokoja when he appeared before an investigative hearing convened by the Kogi State House of Assembly to probe alleged arbitrary fee hikes in state-owned tertiary institutions.
The probe was a sequel to a petition filed against the management of PAAU and Kogi State Polytechnic over claims of indiscriminate increases in charges.
Defending the review, the Vice-Chancellor insisted that the action was not arbitrary, explaining that it was in line with a unified fee structure approved by the Kogi State Government for its three state-owned universities.
He disclosed that the adjustment was based on a 2024 directive from the government mandating harmonisation of fees across all its tertiary institutions.
He argued that despite the review, PAAU still charges less when compared to universities with similar programmes in neighbouring states.
Usman explained that the uproar was largely linked to high-cost medical-related courses such as Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science, which he said demand huge financial outlay, especially at the clinical stage.
He paid tribute to his predecessor, Prof. Marietu Tenuche, for reviving the medical programmes which had collapsed since 2012.
The VC also commended former Governor Yahaya Bello for intervening to support stranded medical students at the time, and praised Governor Ahmed Ododo for sustaining investment in medical education in the state.
On funding support for students, he revealed that 4,032 students of the university have so far been approved to access NELFUND loans amounting to N536.7 million for payment of tuition, while about 600 more applications are still being processed.
He encouraged more students to key into the Federal Government’s loan scheme, noting that beneficiaries also get a N20,000 monthly stipend for upkeep and would only start repayment two years after graduation, when they must have secured gainful employment.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Mr Wemi Jones, said the state government acted in line with due process in approving the new fees, taking into account current economic realities and the welfare of parents and students.
He noted that although the harmonisation directive was issued to PAAU in 2024, its implementation was uneven across departments, which necessitated full enforcement to ensure compliance.
Jones debunked insinuations that Kogi State Polytechnic also hiked fees, clarifying that the rector actually reduced accommodation charges by N5,000.
On his part, the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Mr Idris Maikudi, said the Assembly had directed its relevant committees to thoroughly investigate the petition and to compare the fee regimes of the affected institutions with what obtains in neighbouring states.
Contributing, the member representing Ogori-Magongo Constituency, Mr Bode Ogunmola, advocated sustained government funding for medical education, deploring a situation where the only general hospital in his constituency has operated for years without a doctor owing to manpower shortage.
Similarly, the lawmaker representing Ajaokuta Constituency, Mr Jibril Abu, frowned at the absence of the petitioners at the hearing.
Abu also lauded President Bola Tinubu for introducing NELFUND as a vehicle for expanding access to higher education in the country.