A silent storm is brewing inside the Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN), Kano. The storm is caused by the university’s controversial decision to charge students N750,000 as a graduation levy. This controversial decision has put parents, students, and regulators in a tense standoff to the point that the anti-graft agency has become involved.
What began as an internal school policy has now become a media show. “It has escalated into a heated battle over legal authority, student rights, and the power to protect young Nigerians preparing for the next chapter of their lives,” one student of the university said. For many graduating students, this period should be joyful—collecting results, securing NYSC mobilisation letters, and preparing to step into the world. However, at MAAUN, fear and uncertainty have overshadowed the excitement. The university reportedly tied the compulsory N750,000 fee to the release of final results and NYSC documents, effectively placing students’ future on hold. Education analysts say this single decision can derail careers because NYSC mobilisation is time-bound, and missing a batch could delay a student’s life plan by months or even years.
The situation drew the immediate attention of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), which ordered the school to stop demanding or collecting the levy pending investigation. In a letter signed by the Commission’s Head of Operations, Salisu Saleh, MAAUN was warned not to withhold certificates or NYSC letters from any student over non-payment. The directive was issued “in a bid to prevent actions that may compromise the investigation.”
However, parents insist the school has ignored the order. Many say the institution shut its doors, blocked inquiries, and continued issuing threats. One parent, who spoke anonymously, described the tension as “psychological torture” for students who fear losing their results or missing their NYSC posting.
The Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Saidu Yahya, confirmed that the matter is under serious investigation. He stressed that while universities can set their fees—even as high as they wish—no institution has the right to make such payments compulsory or tie them to essential documents. “If the fee is optional, we have no issue. Nevertheless, once it is tied to results or transcripts, that is illegal,” he said.
Stakeholders say the MAAUN crisis exposes deeper systemic failures in Nigeria’s private education sector, where arbitrary charges often go unchecked. With students’ futures at stake, the case has become a test of whether regulatory bodies can truly protect citizens from institutional exploitation.
For now, one thing is clear: the storm over the graduation levy is not going away anytime soon. It might even get worse. However, it has sparked meaningful conversations about power, accountability, and who truly stands for students in Nigeria’s growing private university sector.
