Students Drag Governing Council Of Adekunle Ajasin University To Court Over Increment Of Tuition Fee

Legal practitioners who are former students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, namely, Vincent Adodo, Joshua Sebiotimo, and Myson Nejo have dragged the Governing Council of the University to court, over increment of Tuition fee.

The public interest suit which was filed at High court, Ondo marked with the Suit No: AK/49M/2019, was brought by way of an application for the enforcement of their fundamental rights.

The suit is challenging the outrageous and arbitrary increment of tuition fees for the undergraduate programme in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, by the Ondo State Government and Authorities of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko.

The other Respondent are the Vice-Chancellor, of Adekunle Ajasin University, Professor Igbekele Amos Ajibefun, the Governor of Ondo State and the Attorney General of the State.

The Applicants are seeking to enforce the right to education guaranteed by Article 17 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the Right to freedom from discrimination guaranteed by Section 42(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended).

The Applicants are also asking the Honourable Court to compel the Respondents to revert to either the 2016/17 or 2017/18 schedule of fees. The Applicants are contending that the arbitrary increment is capable of sending a lot of students away from school, thus a violation of their right to education guaranteed by section 17 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. They equally contend that the deprivation of the right to education is a violation of the right to life and freedom of expression under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended). Furthermore, the Applicants contend that the outrageous fees discriminates against students from less privileged backgrounds contrary to Section 42(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended).

In addition to six declaratory reliefs sought by them, the Applicants are further seeking a relief for an order compelling the 1st and 2nd respondents to revoke the new fees and another relief compelling them to revert to the fees for the 2016/17 session or alternatively, to the fees of the 2017/18 session. The applicants also seek an order compelling the 3rd Respondent (Governor of Ondo State) to forward a bill to the Ondo State House of Assembly for the establishment of a Tertiary Education Trust Fund to cater for the tertiary education of indigent students of Ondo State origin schooling in any of the state-owned tertiary institutions.

At the commencement of the 2017/18 academic session of the university, the university management increased the tuition fees for returning undergraduates from between the range of N28,000 to N32,000 (depending on the faculty or department and level) to between N70, 000 to 150,000. The tuition fees for newly admitted students was increased to N150,000 for all departments except the students of the Faculty of Arts and Education whose tuition fees was pegged at N100,000. Thus, final year students paid N70,000 as tuition fees during the 2017/18 academic session.

The students resumed for the 2018/19 academic session only to be confronted with another systematic increment by the Management of the University. By the systematic increment, the returning students were required to pay the fees they paid in their last level. Thus for instance, a 200 level student who paid N150,000 as tuition in the 2017/18 session and who is now expected to pay the sum of N100,000 as a 300 level student is now compelled to pay the sum of N150,000 as against the sum of N100,000 for 300 level students under the 2017/18 schedule of fees.

With the systematic increment, the tuition fees for graduating students in all faculties skyrocketed to N100,000.

Despite appeals and protests from the students, the University Management and State Government under the administration of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has refused to consider the plea of the students for reduction in the fees.

When the suit came up for mention on Thursday, 27th July 2019, before His Lordship, Hon. Justice B.F. Adeyeye, the Applicants were represented by Mike Ejide, Esq., leading Rotimi Williams Ologunoye, Esq. The 1st and 2nd Respondents were represented by Mr. Steve Adebowale, Esq., while the 3rd and 4th Respondents were represented by Mr. Taiwo Olubodun, Director of Civil Litigation in the Ondo State Ministry of Justice, Akure. None of the Respondents has filed any response to the suit.

The suit has been adjourned to the 31st day of July 2019 for hearing.