Kogi varsity defends fee review as 4,032 students get N536.7m NELFUND loans

Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, has defended its recent fee review, telling Kogi State lawmakers that the changes followed a government directive rather than a decision taken on its own.

Vice-Chancellor Salisu Ogbo Usman spoke on Tuesday at an investigative hearing by the Kogi State House of Assembly in Lokoja. The hearing followed a petition alleging arbitrary fee increases by the management of PAAU and Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.

Usman said the review was part of a unified fee structure approved by the Kogi State Government for its three state-owned universities, based on a 2024 directive to harmonise fees across state-owned tertiary institutions. He said PAAU's charges remain lower than those of similar institutions in neighbouring states.

Why the fees went up

According to the vice-chancellor, much of the controversy centres on medical programmes, including Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science. He said these courses need heavy spending, especially during clinical training.

He credited his predecessor, Marietu Ohunene Tenuche, with bringing back the medical programmes, which had collapsed in 2012. He also thanked former Governor Yahaya Bello for supporting stranded medical students at the time, and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for sustaining medical education in the state.

Commissioner for Education Wemi Jones said the government followed due process in reviewing fees, weighing current economic realities and the interests of parents and students. He said the 2024 directive was first implemented unevenly across departments, which led the university to apply the approved structure fully.

Jones also rejected claims that Kogi State Polytechnic raised its fees, saying its rector had instead cut accommodation charges by N5,000.

What happens next

Idris Aliyu Maikudi, who chairs the House Committee on Education, said the Assembly asked its committees on education and public petitions to examine the allegations and compare the institutions' charges with those of similar schools in neighbouring states.

At the hearing, Ajaokuta lawmaker Jibril Onoru-Oiza Abu raised concern that the petitioners were absent, asking how the Assembly could assess claims that those who made them would not come forward to substantiate.

On funding, Usman said 4,032 PAAU students have been approved for Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) loans totalling ₦536,662,680 to pay school fees, while about 600 more applications are being processed. Beneficiaries also get a ₦20,000 monthly upkeep allowance, with repayment starting two years after graduation, once they have gainful employment.

Bode Ogunmola, representing Ogori-Magongo, urged sustained government support for medical education, noting that the only general hospital in his constituency had gone years without a doctor. Abu praised President Bola Tinubu for introducing NELFUND, saying it widens access to higher education.