What exactly are we paying for?
Fees, facilities and inadequacies.
What's Up guyyyy?
If there’s one question Nigerian students collectively asked this week, it’s this:
“What exactly are we paying for?”
Because across different campuses, from federal to private institutions, the same issues kept showing up, just in different forms.
NAUTH
Let’s start in Nnewi, at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), where nursing students woke up to what can only be described as a financial plot twist.
Tuition reportedly jumped from about ₦90,000 to ₦580,000.
No gradual increase. No soft landing. Just a direct leap.
Students responded the only way students know how. They protested. Placards came out, voices were raised, and the message was simple:
this kind of increase is not something you “adjust” to overnight.
NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY
Not far from there, inside Nnamdi Azikiwe University, another issue was brewing — this time not about fees, but about living conditions.
A student video that surfaced around showed complaints of:
little to no water
irregular electricity
generally difficult hostel conditions
Nothing dramatic, just the kind of everyday discomfort that slowly turns campus life into endurance training.
VERITAS UNIVERSITY
Then you move to Veritas University, where the conversation flipped slightly.
Here, the issue wasn’t low fees and poor facilities, but high fees and still poor facilities.
A student raised concerns after reporting that:
tuition goes as high as ₦1.9 million, 2 million and even 3, for some courses.
electricity had been unavailable for days
water supply was also down
At that point, the question changes from “why is this happening?” to
“why is this happening at this price?”
KADPOLY
Meanwhile, in Kaduna Polytechnic, the issue wasn’t money or water. It was dress code enforcement.
Some students were reportedly stopped from entering school over what officials considered inappropriate dressing during the Ramadan period.
The situation escalated enough that the school had to step in and clarify:
the outfits were actually “moderate and appropriate”
the students should not have been denied entry
the issue likely came from over-enforcement by staff
An investigation has since been opened, because apparently, even dressing for class can now require policy interpretation.
UNN
Back to infrastructure, University of Nigeria Nsukka postgraduate students also took action by staging a peaceful protest, raising concerns about:
lack of electricity
lack of water
generally inadequate facilities for academic work
For postgraduate students, people already deep into research and specialization, these aren’t small inconveniences. They directly affect productivity.
Then, just as the week was wrapping up, something far more serious happened in Maiduguri.
UMTH
An explosion near the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital was reported on March 16, with:
casualties
injuries
and suspected insurgent activity
Beyond campus conversations, this raised immediate security concerns for students and staff in the area.
From ₦580k fees to ₦1.9M complaints, from dry hostels to blocked entrances, lack of electricity and even to security risks, Nigerian campuses this week were less about vibes and more about serious questions and concerns without answers.
In short:
Students are paying more.
Expectations are rising.
But the experience? Still very much under review.
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Until next gist,
Gbemi from 10.8.8 Africa ✨