Akintunde Sawyerr, NELFUND MD
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has raised alarm over steep tuition hikes across several public tertiary institutions, warning that the increases threaten the sustainability of its student loan scheme.
An internal report revealed that universities and polytechnics, including Ekiti State University (EKSU), University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Edo State University, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), and David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), have raised fees by between 20% and 521%. The sharpest increases were noted in professional programmes such as Medicine, Nursing, and Law.
At Edo State University, tuition for Medicine rose from ₦750,000 to over ₦950,000 per session, while Nursing fees hit ₦850,000. UNIMED’s medical programme now exceeds ₦1 million per session, and LAUTECH’s Law fees jumped by 20% to ₦300,000. Kogi State Polytechnic recorded a staggering 1,000% increase, with fees rising from under ₦20,000 to over ₦200,000 per semester for some courses.
NELFUND warned that such abrupt increases disrupt its loan disbursement and recovery processes, potentially leading to defaults and excluding disadvantaged students from higher education.
The Fund urged regulatory bodies, including the National Universities Commission (NUC) and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), to enforce stricter tuition controls.
The report emphasised that tertiary education should remain a right, cautioning that unchecked fees risk shutting out thousands of qualified Nigerian youths.
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