NANS Rejects N1m Minimum Tuition Proposal by Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, Calls for Retraction

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has criticised a reported proposal by the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, that universities seeking financial stability should charge students at least N1 million in tuition.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, NANS President, Dist. Comr. Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, described the reported position as insensitive and said it would place an additional financial burden on Nigerian students.

Afeez said, “As the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), who shoulders the responsibility of representing and advancing the interests of Nigerian students, I find her position deeply disturbing and insensitive. I make bold to state, without mincing words, that Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello goofed.”

He questioned the affordability of such a proposal for students from low-income families and argued that universities should explore alternative sources of revenue rather than rely primarily on tuition.

“To be clear, education cannot be commercialized. Students cannot be made to pay for the financial challenges confronting our universities,” he said.

The NANS president acknowledged the need for adequate funding of universities but said institution managers should pursue innovative ways of generating revenue without placing additional pressure on students.

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He also referenced the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying universities should not use the availability of student loans as a justification for increasing tuition fees.

“Managements must therefore refrain from increasing tuition fees just because NELFUND has been put in place to pay students’ tuition,” Afeez said.

He called on Olatunji-Bello to retract the reported statement and urged university managements across the country to disregard what he described as a call for the commercialisation of education.

“As the voice of Nigerian students both at home and in the diaspora, we shall continue to speak for students while advancing our collective will, championing initiatives that address the welfare and concerns of Nigerian students,” he said.