The Muffin Man
A large number of University of Ibadan undergraduate students have been thrown into a state of anxiety over the fast-approaching school fees deadline.
Recall that the university senate had, on Monday, 6th of May, 2025, released an internal memorandum on the opening and closing of the school fees portal date for the 2024/2025 session.
According to the memo, the date for the opening and closing of the portal for freshmen is 17th February to 6th June, 2025, and for returning students, 14th April to 6th June, 2025, while late registration will be from 9th to 27th June, 2025. Late registration attracts a fee of 20,000 naira, meaning that students had exactly one month from the release of that memo to pay up their fees or risk paying an additional 20,000 naira in fines.
A sizeable number of students who spoke to Zik Press about the June 6 deadline expressed optimism about the fee deadline being extended, while most of them remain apprehensive about the situation. For Emmanuel, a student of the faculty of social sciences, the fees deadline scheduled for the 6th of June is not borne out of adequate consideration of students, especially given the fee hike.
He, however, remained hopeful that the deadline would be postponed. "I stand to be corrected on NELFUND; I am not even sure they have started disbursement. Considering this, fingers remain crossed whether the deadline will be extended, which I would like to presume so," he said.
Gbadebo, another respondent from the faculty of arts, was more particular about the economic situation of the country. In his words, "Public universities that we've always known to be the school of the masses are gradually becoming the school for a selected few out of the masses. Such deadlines are unfair to both the students and the parents getting the fees."
When Zik Press reached out to the vice hall chair of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, Adebayo Similoluwa, he was of the opinion that the bulk of the issue linked back with the UI'SU. "Since the Union dropped their release, a lot of students have accepted their fate and have started finding a means to get their fee paid. But we all know that it isn't everyone that can easily afford that money in that short period of time," he said.
He further stated that given how little the time frame is, the UI'SU should be able to help students to at least fight for an extension. When asked if he believes the deadline will be extended, Adebayo responded in the affirmative.
Stella, an Awoite, did not hold back when quizzed about the situation. For her, the leadership of the UISU failed on several occasions to step up to the plate and champion the causes of the students in the school. For her the cases in which the UI'SU held a town hall meeting, refused to call a congress, and eventually cancelling the congress were instances in which the Students Union could have effectively acted as the voice of the students. Their failures in these instances is what created the present situation with the fee deadline.
In the meantime, for some of the students who applied for NELFUND, the foreseeable future remains bleak given the fact that most of them have not even been paid. Those who spoke to Zik Press correspondents expressed their exasperation over the situation, as the situation is already out of their hands given the fact that disbursement has not started on their portal.
Zik Press also reached out to some student representatives. For Jokomba Quyum, majority leader of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall constituency at the University of Ibadan Students Representative Council, he remains hopeful that positive feedback could come.
"As a student, I'm apprehensive like every other student as regards the deadline because I have also not paid my school fees. As Zik Hall Majority Leader, I have been working hand in hand with the leadership of the council, other majority leaders and the student union executive committee to make sure something is done regarding the deadline and increments. A meeting was held with the leadership of the university, and we already have good news that some increments have been reversed. I believe we will get good news regarding the deadline too, soon," he said.
Jokomba Quyum is not alone as the speaker of the 7th Assembly of the ZHLC; Oladoja Ayomide, who is also a member of the UI'SRC, also shares this sentiment. For Ayomide, the decision of the management to fix the school fees payment deadline for July was harsh considering the economic realities of the country.
"A large percentage of the student populace won't be able to meet this deadline, which means that necessary changes need to be made to the decisions of the management," he said.
Ayomide further revealed efforts being made to get a possible deadline extension. "A resolution was passed recently for a delegation to be sent to the school management to discuss the increment in order to have a possible reversal. Also, there will be an extension of the deadline," he said.
When asked how confident he is in this delegation and their mission and told to rate his confidence in their ability to get a possible reversal or a deadline extension, Ayomide stated that he had no confidence in them getting a reversal, but on a scale of one to ten, he rated the chances of a deadline extension at a seven.
In his words, "I don't believe that this delegation alone is capable of getting us a reversal, but they should be able to facilitate the process."
Recall that last week Sunday, on the 25th of May, the UISU executive council sent out a release on the fee deadline. While the release did not explicitly say anything to calm down the student populace, the union, however, restated its commitment to get the deadline extended while enjoining students to take advantage of NELFUND. It remains to be seem what would come up in the next few days.
