Students of the Lagos State College of Health Technology have given the school management 48 hours to reverse a recently announced tuition fee hike or face mass demonstrations. The ultimatum, issued on September 23, has already stirred discussions within the state’s education sector about the affordability of tertiary education in the country.
In a statement jointly signed by the president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Akolade Omotuyi, and the general secretary, Favour Animashaun, the students declared the increment unacceptable. The union said the decision to take a stand was reached after a congress meeting involving representatives from across the institution.
The union revealed that leaders from eight major departments endorsed the resolution, showing solidarity against the policy. These departments include Environmental Health Technology, Health Information Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, Pharmacy Technology, and Community Health Extension. Others are Biomedical Technology, Complementary Health and Alternative Medicine, and Morbid Sciences.
According to the students, if the school authorities fail to reverse the decision within two days, they will embark on peaceful but sustained protests. Such demonstrations, they warned, could disrupt academic activities and extend until their demands are met.
“The students have unanimously declared the increment unacceptable and are demanding that the decision be immediately reviewed and reversed,” the statement read. The union added that dialogue and swift action by management would prevent a crisis that could damage the reputation of the college.
The students further described the increment as “unfair” and “insensitive,” especially given the economic realities facing Nigerian families. They stressed that the hike has imposed an additional burden of more than ₦50,000 on many students, which they said was beyond the financial capacity of average households in the current economy.
Beyond the increased charges, the students accused the management of billing them for services that were never provided during the last academic session. They argued that it was unjustifiable for students to bear the brunt of poor institutional accountability while still being asked to pay more.
Fee hikes have become a recurring issue in Nigerian higher education. Several universities and colleges across the country have announced similar increases in recent years, citing inflation, rising costs of maintaining facilities, and dwindling government subventions as justifications. The Lagos college’s new policy, therefore, adds to a growing list of contentious fee adjustments nationwide.
For instance, the University of Ibadan last year suspended three students, two of whom were penalized for four semesters, after they staged a protest against tuition hikes. The students carried placards with the words “FEE MUST FALL” during the swearing-in ceremony of new union leaders in May 2024, a move the management described as gross misconduct.
Similarly, several other institutions including the University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Maiduguri, University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), and the University of Abuja have implemented upward fee reviews in the past two academic sessions. These decisions have often been met with student unrest, ranging from peaceful protests to complete shutdowns of campus activities.
While school administrators argue that these increments are necessary to sustain quality education in the face of economic instability, students insist that they worsen inequality by locking out children from low-income families. The unresolved tension between financial sustainability and accessibility has become one of the most pressing challenges in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
For now, all eyes remain on the Lagos State College of Health Technology management. Their response within the 48-hour window may determine whether the campus maintains stability or becomes the next hotspot of student-led demonstrations over what many describe as the unbearable cost of education in today’s Nigeria.
