The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has accused some Students’ Union Government (SUG) presidents of compromising the interests of students by allegedly supporting tuition fee increases in exchange for higher allowances and other personal benefits from school managements.
The NANS President, Akinteye Afeez who made the allegation, urged students across tertiary institutions to organise peaceful protests whenever their school authorities announce increases in tuition fees.
He also called on students to hold their union leaders accountable and ensure that those elected to represent them do not negotiate away their welfare for personal gains.
In a statement addressing the growing concerns over fee increases in tertiary institutions, Babatunde said his recent engagements with some institutions had exposed what he described as disturbing compromises by student representatives.
He said: “In most of these cases, I discovered that some SUG Presidents had already reached agreements with management to support the increment, simply because their own SUG allowances or dues would be increased.”
The NANS president further alleged that some school authorities had offered personal financial benefits to student leaders to secure their cooperation.
Expressing concern over the alleged betrayal of students’ interests, Babatunde maintained that student unions were established to protect the welfare of their members and not to serve as bargaining platforms for individual benefits.
“In other cases, management allegedly promised certain SUG leaders personal financial benefits in exchange for their cooperation. This is unfortunate!
“The SUG is established to protect and represent the interests of students, not to negotiate away their welfare for personal benefits.”
He urged students not to remain passive when faced with arbitrary increases in school charges, insisting that collective action remained necessary to compel institutional authorities to reconsider such decisions.
The NANS president further urged students to put their SUG presidents at the forefront of engagements with managements, stressing that student representatives must demonstrate commitment to the interests of those who elected them.
“When your school management announces an increase in tuition fees, the first thing students should do is organise themselves, mobilise, and peacefully shut down the school to register their displeasure.
“Put your SUG President at the forefront and collectively demand that management reconsider the decision. Let your voices be heard. Make it clear that students will not accept decisions that affect their welfare without being consulted.”
Warning against the misuse of student leadership positions, Babatunde said: “To every SUG President out there, remember that your loyalty should be to the students who elected you. You cannot collect a mandate from students and use it to bargain against their interests.”
The latest intervention comes amid growing concerns over rising charges in public tertiary institutions and the implications for access to higher education, particularly for students from low-income households.
Recall that the House of Representatives had last week, urged the Federal Government to suspend recent increases in school fees and other compulsory charges in public tertiary institutions, warning that the development could undermine the objectives of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The lawmakers also expressed concern that some institutions had increased fees by more than 100 per cent, with the potential to deepen financial difficulties for students and widen inequalities in access to education.
The House subsequently mandated relevant committees to investigate the scale and justification for the increases, while urging the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission to engage institutional managers on reviewing the charges.