The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to suspend fee increases in public tertiary institutions, warning that rising education costs could undermine the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and shut financially disadvantaged students out of higher education.
The resolution was adopted during Tuesday’s plenary following a motion sponsored by Ifeoluwa Ehindero, a lawmaker representing Ondo State under the All Progressives Congress.
The move comes amid growing concerns over rising tuition and other charges in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, with recent increases triggering protests by students in some institutions.
Moving the motion, Ehindero warned that repeated fee hikes could weaken the effectiveness of NELFUND, a Federal Government initiative designed to provide eligible students with interest-free loans to help them finance their tertiary education.
He argued that sudden and substantial increases in institutional charges could place the scheme under pressure, as its framework was developed around existing tuition levels and institutional cost structures.
The lawmaker also cited Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution, which sets out the state’s responsibility to promote equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.
Ehindero said some institutions had raised their fees without sufficient consultation or adequate consideration of the economic hardship facing Nigerian households.
He warned that unchecked increases could deepen inequality in access to education, leaving students from low-income families struggling to meet the cost of tuition and other academic expenses, despite the availability of government-backed loans.
The House unanimously adopted the motion after Speaker Tajudeen Abbas subjected it to a voice vote.
As part of its resolutions, lawmakers urged the Federal Government to consider increasing financial allocations to public tertiary institutions to reduce their reliance on internally generated revenue from student charges.
The House also mandated its committees on university education, federal polytechnics and higher technical education, and federal colleges of education to investigate recent fee increases, determine their extent and establish whether they are justified.
The probe is expected to examine the implications of rising institutional charges for students and assess how the increases could affect NELFUND’s ability to expand access to higher education.
The resolution places renewed focus on the challenge of balancing the funding needs of public institutions with the government’s objective of making tertiary education more accessible and affordable.
