If you're a Federal University student, tuition fee is now illegal in your school

This is a good time to be a student at any Federal Government owned University as the Federal Executive Council has on Wednesday, May 9, 2018, declared tuition fee illegal.

The FEC says the laws do not allow Federal Government Universities to charge its students.

The Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwuka, announced this while briefing State House correspondents after the cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Anwuka says the council has discussed the school fees being charged by the universities "and noted that as of law, no federal university should charge tuition fees."

The Minister also says the council understands that some universities charge their fees per unit course, adding that the government would investigate and stop it.

“We understand some universities now charge fees per course unit and we are going to make sure that we investigate that properly and make it stop.

"Students can pay other auxiliary fees, but not in excess. Various university councils and management should be able to fix what fees students should pay that is affordable and acceptable to the students. That is the position.''

However, this law that makes school fees illegal in Federal Universities do not cover state government-owned and private universities.

ALSO READ:Nigerian students attend substandard Universities abroad

Anwuka said, "the federal government does not determine fees for private and state universities. It only takes responsibility for fees paid in the federal universities.”

There are 1.9m students in Nigerian Universities

Meanwhile, the National Universities Commission has announced that there are 1.9 million students in all the universities across the country.

The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed said at a two-day retreat for governing council members of the Nigerian universities in Abuja on Tuesday, May 8, 2018.