PAAU Defends Fee Review, Says 4,032 Students Benefit from NELFUND

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja The management of Prince Abubakar Audu University has defended the review of school fees in the institution, insisting the adjustment was part of a unified fee structure approved by the Kogi State Government for its three state-owned universities. The Vice-Chancellor of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman, said the review was not arbitrary but followed a government directive issued in 2024, which was intended to harmonise fees across the state-owned tertiary institutions. He maintained the charges at PAAU were comparatively lower than those in some neighbouring states. The Vice-Chancellor made the clarification during an investigative hearing organised by the Kogi State House of Assembly following a petition alleging arbitrary increases in school fees by the managements of PAAU and Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja. He explained that much of the controversy surrounding the fee structure centred on medical programmes, noting that the university’s MBBS, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science and other health-related programmes required substantial financial investment, particularly at the clinical training stage. Usman commended the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Marietu Ohunene Tenuche, for reintroducing the medical programmes, which had collapsed in 2012, and former Governor Yahaya Bello for supporting efforts to address the challenges faced by stranded medical students. He also praised Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for sustaining medical education in the state’s universities. On the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the Vice-Chancellor disclosed that 4,032 PAAU students had applied for and secured approval for loans totaling N536,662,680, with the funds expected to be credited to the respective students’ accounts for school fee payments. He added that an additional 600 students had submitted applications, expressing optimism that more beneficiaries would be captured. He urged students to take advantage of the scheme, which also provides eligible beneficiaries with a monthly upkeep allowance of N20,000 and allows repayment to commence two years after graduation, subject to securing gainful employment. Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Wemi Jones, explained the government had established a process for reviewing fees in its tertiary institutions, taking into consideration prevailing economic realities and the interests of parents and students. Jones said the upward review directive was issued to PAAU in 2024 but was initially implemented inconsistently across departments and programmes. He said the university management subsequently moved to implement the approved structure fully to ensure compliance with government policy. He however dismissed claims that Kogi State Polytechnic had increased its fees, saying his findings showed that the institution’s Rector had actually reduced accommodation charges by N5,000. The Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Hon. Idris Aliyu Maikudi, representing Kogi-Koton-Karfe State Constituency, said the investigation was initiated following a petition received by the Assembly, which mandated its Committees on Education and Public Petitions to examine the allegations and compare the institutions’ charges with those of similar institutions in neighbouring states. Contributing, Hon. Bode Ogunmola, representing Ogori-Magongo State Constituency, called for sustained government support for medical education, citing the acute shortage of doctors and other health professionals in the state. He lamented that the only general hospital in his constituency had operated for years without a doctor despite efforts to secure one. Another committee member, Hon. Jibril Onoru-Oiza Abu, representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, expressed concern over the absence of the petitioner or petitioners at the hearing, questioning how the Assembly could properly assess allegations that those who raised them were unwilling to substantiate it. Abu also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for introducing NELFUND, describing it as an important intervention to expand access to higher education, and urged students to embrace the opportunity rather than allow misconceptions about the loan scheme to discourage them.