By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
Student leaders at Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Kogi State, have absolved the university management of allegations of arbitrary school fee increases, attributing the controversy to the implementation of a government-approved unified fee structure.
The students’ representatives also called for the conduct of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) election, with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Salisu Ogbo Usman, pledging that the exercise would hold without further delay.
The position emerged at a meeting between the university management and representatives of student bodies at the Council Chamber on Thursday.
Those present included the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Joint Campus Committee (JCC), Kogi State Chapter, SUG and National Association of Kogi State Students (NAKOSS).
At the meeting, Usman presented documents explaining the unified fee structure, which took effect from the 2024/2025 academic session across Kogi State’s three public universities.
He said its implementation was also prompted by an audit query concerning the previous application of the approved structure.
The Vice-Chancellor clarified that the implementation did not affect students currently in 400 and 500 levels.
He challenged students, parents and other stakeholders to compare the approved charges for corresponding departments and programmes across the three institutions.
Usman assured that any unjustified excess charge identified at PAAU would be reversed and refunded, with an apology from the university.
He urged students and parents to rely on official university communication channels and verify information before circulating claims on social media.
The Vice-Chancellor reaffirmed management’s commitment to students’ welfare and a conducive learning environment, commending the student leaders for choosing dialogue to resolve the dispute.
Speaking on behalf of NANS JCC in Kogi State, its chairman, Comrade Adams O. Abdulrazaq, praised the university management for providing documents and detailed explanations.
He said the engagement had helped student representatives better understand the circumstances surrounding the fee structure.
Similarly, the outgoing SUG President, Comrade Rilwan Abubakar Obaje, said the explanations and documents presented at the meeting showed that the current management had not increased school fees.
While commending the state government’s interventions in student welfare, Obaje called for sustained engagement among stakeholders to explore ways of reducing the financial burden on students.
He urged students to remain calm and rely on verified information, while appealing to the management to allow the SUG election to proceed.
Obaje assured the university that students would maintain peace and order throughout the electoral process.
The PAAU NAKOSS President, Comrade Gabriel Samuel Onorouyiza, also pledged the association’s cooperation with the management and other student bodies to promote students’ welfare and sustain peace on campus.
The student representatives unanimously maintained that, based on the explanations and documents presented, the management had not increased fees.
Responding, Usman pledged that the SUG election would be conducted without further delay but urged student leaders to provide security assurances to prevent a recurrence of the incident recorded during the final-year students’ celebration on June 11, 2026.
He also encouraged students to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to ease the financial burden of their education.