Activists Kicks Against Exorbitant Unibadan’s Acceptance Fee

Students under the aegis of Coalition against acceptance fee has rejected the call for the payment of N37,500 as acceptance fee for newly admitted students of the premier university of Ibadan. The student coalition made up of majorly newly admitted students of the institution in a press statement released on Monday argued that having secured admission through due  process, there is no need for the payment of an acceptance fees.

“We, the newly admitted students of the University of Ibadan havecome together to form a COALITION AGAINST ACCEPTANCEFEE, with the motive to ensure the reversal of the most recentdevelopment in the processing of our admissions, which is thepayment of a thirty seven thousand, five hundred naira onlyacceptance fee.

Just as it is, we have secured our admissions by due process, andhenceforth see no need to pay such a heinous fee to continue withthe process, understanding that it is a payment for an unfoundservice”, The statement reads.

The coalition, while admitting the lack of funds plaguing Nigerian tertiary institutions, however said it refused to be victim of the crisis.

“We understand that there is an underfunding of tertiary institutionsby the government and we condemn this. Moreover, we refuse to bethe victims of that vicious chain”, The group also urged the Institution to channel efforts in getting funds from the Federal Government rather than milking students, “Rather than levying anincreased acceptance fee on newly admitted students, we herebyadvice the University of Ibadan to channel more efforts in gettingthe University to be funded by the Federal Government”.

When reached by this reporter, the coalition’s spokesperson, Babatimehin Peace said their expectation is that the school management should reverse the decision and refund those who have already paid.

“What we expect from the University is that they revoke their latest decision in the admission process. Three thousand seven hundred is quite an amount for a purposeless fee. They should scrap out the paying of an acceptance fee, and refund those who have already paid”.

Reacting to the development, Ben Taffe, Coordinator of the Unibadan Chapter of radical students right group, Education Rights Campaign (ERC), faulted the fee and requested from the management what it is meant for.

“It is expedient for the management of the University to explain what the acceptance fee is used for. After the enormous payment of several amount of money by the student ranging from JAMB fee and Post-UTME fee among others, yet the management demands an unexplainable fee termed acceptance fee on the student” He said

The Unibadan final year student also requested from the management to give an account of how the acceptance fees collected in the last 10 years was spent, “It is on this note, ERC charge the university management to give an accurate account of the analysis of the acceptance fee received for the past 10 years. However, if there is no accurate analysis reached, then, the idea of acceptance fee should be totally abolished.In essence, without the analysis of the acceptance fee, then we shouldn’t be talking of the increment but the abolishment of the fee because the fee is not necessary in which ever form it may be seen”.

He also urged the student Union and other unions to join in the call for the abolishment of acceptance not only in UI but in the country as a whole.

“It is on this note, ERC call on the Student Union, rank and file of the students, other unions on campus such as ASUU, NASU, SSANU, NAAT to join forces and hold the management accountable for the acceptance fee received for the past 10 years (in its limitations). However, more demands should be placed on the total abolishment of the payment of the fee”,

“Importantly , these demands should not only be restricted to the University of Ibadan campus alone but throughout the tertiary institution campuses across the nation”, He concluded.

Remember the House of Representatives has earlier condemned the high acceptance fees being imposed by Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and other tertiary institutions on admission seekers in April. The house said the fee was fast constituting an impediment to the smooth process of entry into universities. In a motion titled,‘Need to Investigate the Acceptance Fees Charged by TertiaryInstitutions in Nigeria’ by the Chairman of the House Committee onBasic Education, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, demand the rationale behindthe fees being collected by tertiary institutions.

Moving the motion, Ihonvbere said, “The House notes that the arbitrary high acceptance fees charged by some public universities on new students across the country have become a matter of great concern to many families.

“The House also notes that amid the rising frustrations over the exorbitant fees, indigent families of new students that are forced to pay the acceptance fees are bemoaning the unusual astronomical increases against the backdrop of the fact that Federal Universities are supposedly tuition-free.