“Leadership is not about raising money, it’s about raising voices and standards.” — Adapted.

Matter

There has been a call of basic due increment from hall executives and faculty presidents in the University of Ibadan recently. This has generated a lot of discussions amongst the student populace as to whether the call is a good occurrence in a time where there is hyperinflation but when the people have lost their purchasing power.

Basic dues is one of the compulsory fees students are required to pay aside their tuition fees. It is paid in halls of residence, faculties and departments. As a compulsory due, it validates the allocation of rooms to students in their halls of residence and at faculties and departments. It is required for registration as well as clearance for freshers and finalists respectively and is a mandatory payment for every academic session for returning students as well. In short, it is compulsory for all students to pay. This payment at faculty and departmental levels is to cover events such as the freshers’ week, dinner, faculty week, election, Dean’s cup and sessional packages; a range of activities that some students hardly find interest in.

The hall basic dues are to be used to cater for sanitation, security, infrastructural maintenance as claimed by the Council of Hall Chairpersons, among other activities similar to the faculty and department. Addressing what students get in the sessional package which comes with a mandatory book and souvenir based on the decision of the executives and sometimes the decision of students in their constituency are sometimes irrelevant to the students. Some constituencies in the last session only gave the students books with no souvenirs while some are yet to make the distribution.

Reality

Recently, in the letters sent to the Student Representative Council by Council of Hall Chairpersons followed by that of the Council of Faculty Presidents, they proposed an increment in the compulsory basic dues payable by students in the school from #3,000 to #5,000. They claimed 3,000 naira ‘is no longer sufficient to cater for the vision and activities of our various associations.’ This is rightly true considering the economic status of the country where services and commodities become expensive day after day leaving students and parents to struggle for a living. During the UI’SRC meeting, different opinions evolved from no increment to #3500, #4000 and #5000 respectively. In response to the matter, the Honorables reached a consensus to send out a Google link form to hear from the students they represent. The poll resulted in 1,172 voting against increment and 1,777 supporting it.

Last session was a great reveal of the financial difficulties faced by students who labour to remain within the four walls of the classroom. A NASELS Press report disclosed that the two disbursements by Nigerian Education Loan Funds (NELFUND) for the students of the University of Ibadan had no fewer than 4,653 students as beneficiaries. This is an indicator that a higher number of students will likely apply for a loan this new session considering the country’s economy is not getting any better. It should also be noted that there was a lot of tuition fee crowdfunding set up by departments, faculties, and the students’ union, which obviously indicated that a lot of the students were incapacitated to pay their tuition fees. The result of the hike in fees last session resulted in some civil demonstrations by the students who protested against the increase. The hike was not reversed and some students who were not able to pay but sat their examinations were asked to repeat the levels. While statistics have shown that there are a lot of indigent students in the school, some student leaders are still insensitive to their plights and look for ways to compound the students’ challenges by increasing the basic dues fees. The government has announced that the next disbursement of loan will be given to professional courses, yet a new set of dilemmas for students who do not fall into this category.

Taking a walk down memory lane, on the 10th June, 2024, the UI’SRC administration led by Rt. Hon Mattias Busoye opposed the proposal for increment of the basic dues by the Council of Faculty Presidents and the Council of Hall Chairpersons to #4000. The Council reaffirmed its decision to reflect steadfast commitment to representing the interests of the students by not increasing the financial burden on any student, aiming to ensure that education remains accessible and affordable to students. However, some of the honourables are the ones not only proposing an increment but of 66.67% at that. Seeing the energy the honorables, faculty presidents and hall chairpersons incorporated into the increment of the basic dues demands an answer to the following questions: Will they be readily responsible to fight for students if their rights are abused? Will there really be an improvement in student welfarism?

Consequences

Considering the economic status of the country, every human will agree to an increase in order to cater for the students’ welfare. This increment in the real sense has only provided more funds for planned activities that most of them will likely fail to account for.

An average student is currently disturbed as the new session creeps in. He or she is worried if there will be an increase in the tuition fees, which will mean taking an extra job or reapplication for student loans to remain in school. In addition to this burden is the 33.33% increment in the basic dues that the student must pay at the departments and faculties and halls for students residing in any hall of residence. Since the students are deeply concerned about their tuition fees and the student leaders’ responsibility is to cater for the students welfare, they should channel the energy used to propagate the increment to fighting against hike in fees and its reversal.

We also need to see the depiction the UI’SRC has portrayed to the school management. During the hike in school fees in the last session, many students, including the Council, expressed their grief and disagreement against the increment. It led to protest and in response, the school management compulsorily sent the students on a three-week break to ‘source for money’. Surprisingly, the student leaders are the people demanding an increment of the basic dues. This does not only show that the student leaders can influence students to get their wish done but a great indicator that the management can unapologetic continue the increment in tuition fees after all, student leaders proposal and approval of an increment shows their underlying knowledge for the need of an increment in tuition fees that reckons with theirs. We hope this does not result in shutting up the voices of the students leaders against any increment attempt by the management.

There is a need for an increment, everyone will say, but the consequences afterward will be debilitating. Now that the 33.33% increment has been approved by the management too, it is a call to the student leaders to not only have actively engaged in the approval of increment in the basic dues but actively make their voices to be heard by the school management against hike in tuition fees and readily respond to the welfarism of the students.