Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Association of Nigerian Students has issued a blistering condemnation of the Federal University Wukari management, threatening to shut down the institution's examinations if the Vice-Chancellor does not immediately reverse a policy that forces financially struggling students to defer their studies. In a press release signed by its National President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, on Thursday, July 16, 2026, the student body declared that the directive affecting over 5,000 students is "insensitive, anti-student, and contrary to the ideals of accessible and inclusive education".
The crisis erupted after the university management, led by the Vice-Chancellor, mandated that any student unable to pay tuition fees must formally defer their semester or entire academic session. The directive further warned that failure to either pay or obtain approval for deferment would result in the forfeiture of both the semester and the entire session. Students who absent themselves without approved deferment would be barred from registering for the next academic session. In a statement, NANS described the policy as "cruelty in its purest form", arguing that it directly undermines President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Nigerian Education Loan Fund initiative, which was designed to remove financial barriers to higher education.
NANS insisted that many of the affected students have already applied for NELFUND loans and are awaiting disbursement. The association argued that the university would eventually receive the tuition fees once the funds are released, making the current policy both inhumane and counterproductive. "It is inhumane for the Vice-Chancellor and the entire management of the institution to deny students the opportunity to write their examinations despite the assurance that NELFUND will certainly disburse the funds in due course," the statement read. The student body also accused the university of ignoring the practical reality that many students who pay their fees upfront before NELFUND disbursements often struggle to get refunds from institutions, a problem NANS says it has only recently begun to address through sustained pressure.
The association warned that it would not stand idly by while thousands of students are denied the right to sit for their examinations. "Let it be unequivocally stated that there is no circumstance under which the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students will fold its arms and watch over 5,000 students be denied the opportunity to sit for their examinations on account of late registration, despite having secured funding for their tuition through NELFUND," the statement declared. NANS issued an ultimatum to the Vice-Chancellor, demanding the immediate reversal of the policy and the reinstatement of all affected students' registration and examination rights. The association warned that failure to comply would trigger drastic action, including the relocation of its National Secretariat to the Federal University Wukari to resist what it described as the Vice-Chancellor's "anti-student policies".
The face-off between Nigeria's largest student body and the management of Federal University Wukari highlights the growing friction between university administrators and students over tuition policies, particularly in the context of the federal government's student loan programme. NANS has previously been vocal about institutions withholding refunds or creating administrative barriers for students relying on NELFUND, and the current standoff at FUWUKARI represents a significant escalation in that battle. With over 5,000 students caught in the crossfire, the coming days will determine whether the Vice-Chancellor yields to student pressure or whether the institution faces the prospect of a full-scale academic shutdown.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments