The management of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, has ruled out any increase in school fees following complaints from students over unexpected charges displayed on the institution’s payment portal.
The development had sparked concerns among students after some discovered additional payments in their fee breakdowns, including a disputed mandatory charge of ₦13,300. The changes raised questions about whether the university had introduced new fees or adjusted its existing payment structure.
The concerns prompted the student leadership to seek clarification from the university management, as students expressed uncertainty over the amounts they were expected to pay for the academic session.
The Students’ Union Government subsequently held a meeting with its executives, faculty presidents and departmental presidents to examine the complaints and discuss the next line of action.
During the engagement, discrepancies were identified in the fee schedules displayed on the portal. Some payments appeared to have been duplicated, while charges meant for newly admitted students were also reflected in the payment breakdowns of other students.
One of the disputed items was the Faculty Journal Fee, which the student leadership said was applicable specifically to fresh students. Its appearance in the fee schedules of other categories of students further heightened concerns about the accuracy of the portal.
As the issue gained attention, the student leadership engaged the university management to establish whether the changes represented an approved increase in fees. The payment portal was subsequently shut down to allow the necessary corrections to be made.
Providing an update after another round of discussions with the university management, President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, announced that the institution had confirmed there would be no increase in school fees.
Akinteye explained that the disputed charges resulted from a technical error on the university’s payment portal, which caused payments intended specifically for fresh students to be generalised and displayed for other categories of students.
He stressed that the university had not approved any increase, adding that the portal had been taken offline while the management worked to correct the errors.
“I can confidently inform all students that the management has confirmed that there will be no increase in school fees whatsoever, not even by 0.1 per cent,” he said.
The NANS President urged students to remain calm and avoid panic, assuring them that the situation was being monitored to ensure that the corrections were completed.
The clarification means that the additional charges which triggered the complaints should not be interpreted as a general increase in DELSU’s school fees. Students are, however, expected to confirm their payment obligations once the portal is restored with the corrected breakdowns.
The incident has brought attention to the importance of accurate fee schedules on university payment platforms, particularly as students depend on the information provided on such portals to plan and complete their registration.
