Education
UNIBEN’s Inordinate Circle of Fees and Harvests of Protest
By Jerome-Mario Utomi
Separate from the awareness that the euphoria which heralded the epoch appointments of Professor Lillian Imuetinyan Salami, a home economist/nutritionist and former Dean of the Faculty of Education, as the second female vice-chancellor after Grace Alele Williams, and the 10th substantive vice-chancellor of the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria, has faded and jeer overtaken the cheers of expectation while fears have displaced reason, resulting in an entirely separate set of consequences, irrational hatred and division, I must say that the recent news report that the students of UNIBEN, September 14, 2021, blocked the Lagos-Benin highway in protest over imposition of, but now reversed N20,000 late registration charges by the school management, did not come to be as a surprise.
Rather, like the generality of Nigerians who earlier believed that the appointment of a new VC, a few years ago will usher in fresh breathe too and save the students and their parents from financial emasculation, the recent protest convinced all that nothing has changed in the university’s love for visiting their students with unjust laws/policies.
As we know, a just law is ‘a man-made code that squares with moral laws or the laws and uplifts human personalities, while an unjust law on the other hand is a code that is out of harmony with moral laws.’
This assertion is predicated on two separate but similar realities. First was a similar protest by students of the school dated Friday, November 1, 2019, to register their grievances over the poor state of infrastructures and incessant fees charged by the school authorities.
The second reason enjoys a link with the first (the 2019 protest) but stemmed from the content of my earlier intervention/ reaction to the appointment of Professor Lillian Imuetinyan Salami as the school’s new VC; that was in 2019.
Aside from congratulating the new VC, the piece, which had as title; Tasks ahead of Professor Salami, the new VC of UNIBEN, highlighted how in recent time the institution has defined leaning too narrowly in a manner devoid of process and outcome fairness; got preoccupied with revenue generation without consideration to the students comfort or wellbeing; identify errors among students without beaming searchlight on internal occurrences.
It concluded by reminding the new VC that if she does nothing about this, it simply means our youths, and the nation by extension is faced with a bleak future.
Conversely, if she is able to correct the above challenges; it will be her most powerful accomplishment for earning new respect and emulation.
Presently, the impulse in the school particularly the recent protest and student’s description of the decision of the university management as harsh, as it did not take into consideration “the unfavourable economic situation in the country, explains that the institution is still characterized as a neck-deep in an inordinate circle of fees and should be ready to harvest from students baskets of protest.
More than anything else, the present happening stands as emblematic prove that the school management is still unmindful of the fact that ‘if learning must persist, teachers must also look inward, reflect critically on their own behaviour, and identify the ways they often advertently or inadvertently contribute to the institution’s problems and then change how they act, it more than anything else points to the fact that nothing has changed.
Admittedly, Nigerians and of course the global community particularly development professionals do not think that what the federal government is doing when it comes to perennial underfunding of public universities is the best way to encourage education in the country as such failures/failings and shortfalls daily impedes lecturers from carrying out scholarly researches, truncates academic calendar with strike actions, lace Nigerian universities with dilapidated and overstretched learning facilities with the universities producing graduates devoid of linkage with the manpower demand by the nation’s industrial sector. This partly explains the dilemma of public universities administrators.
But when one juxtaposes the above fact with the ongoing challenge particularly, the now reversed late registration charges; one will discover that if what happens in other universities is a challenge, that of UNIBEN is a crisis.
To support this claim, let’s listen to the UNIBEN VC as she talked about the reversal of the N20,000 late registration charges; “It is important to mention that this reversal in position will not break the University of Benin. I fundamentally believe that there are very few decisions that are irreversible and this is definitely not one of them. At this time, the N20,000 late fee is reversed and it is a closed case.
“UNIBEN is resilient and we will continue to move forward with a strong conviction to ensure that the university reaches its full potential as a premier academic institution,” she added.
The above comment naturally elicits the following posers; if the school leadership knows that reversing such a position will not break the University of Benin, why did they come up with it in the first instance? If they (as they claim) are aware that UNIBEN is resilient and will continue to move forward with a strong conviction to ensure that the university reaches its full potential as a premier academic institution, why are they overburdening students with a circle of fees?
Is the underfunding of tertiary institutions in Nigeria by the federal government UNIBEN-specific? If not, why are they in the habit of transferring such aggression to innocent students and their parents?
As the students noted, why is the school management not bringing into consideration “the unfavourable economic situation in the country before slamming N20,000 late registration charges on the students? Why can’t they (management) look for more civil/creative ways of generating income for the school without overburdening the students and their parents?
While answer(s) to the above is awaited from UNIBEN leadership, another argument by the VC that cannot hold water when faced with embarrassing fact is her statement that; “Early registration is critical for effective operations of the university; it provides insight into the students’ volume/demand and allows for smarter planning to ensure that we have enough staff, courses and funding supporting our students accordingly. It is important to note that in the past, other non-financial interventions in attempts to urge early registration have failed.”
If that is the true position, it may again necessitate the question as to the logic/reason behind outrageous and out of order acceptance fees charged by the UNIBEN management?
Take as another illustration, presently, new students pay about N63,000.00 for Education, Management and Engineering faculties, while Medical students are made to cough out about N75,000 as acceptance fees.
Comparatively, while UNIBEN charges the above, other federal universities such as; the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the Federal University of Petroleum and Resources (FUPRA), Warri, Delta State and the Federal University of Agriculture (FUUNAB), Abeokuta, Ogun State, receive amounts that are far low. These are verifiable facts.
By this analysis, the UNIBEN’s clumsy and discomforting attitude to the fresh students is led bare. Against this backdrop, the question that, begs for an answer(s) is; how did UNIBEN arrive at the above fees in the first instance?
I hold the opinion that the university needs a new vision and students-friendly reforms and policies that will re-engineer quality and affordable education.
Jerome-Mario Utomi is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos. He could be reached via [email protected]/08032725374.
Education
Mine Bitcoin and Dogecoin for Free With DL Mining! UK Compliance Platform Officially Opened
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Education
Prodigy Finance Unveils NovaGrad AI-enabled Planning Tool for Students
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform giving LATAM and African students a clearer path to global universities known as NovaGrad has been launched by Prodigy Finance.
This tool allows users to plan their study-abroad journeys with confidence. The goal is to give every ambitious student the clarity, guidance, and confidence they need regardless of their background.
Many students still face steep tuition fees, shifting visa rules, complex admissions processes and limited access to reliable information.
The initiative has been created to make those first steps clearer and easier to manage. As interest grows across LATAM and Africa, universities have also stepped into the mission, recognising that students who arrive prepared are far more likely to succeed.
The platform is an AI-enabled planning tool that supports students throughout their study-abroad journey. It helps them explore courses, compare universities, understand their financial options and prepare strong, clear applications.
Students can research programmes across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and many other countries, understand what each university expects and organise their plans in one place.
With visa policies evolving globally, students can also turn to the platform to make sense of timelines, documentation and opportunities in newer destinations.
The tool supports students as they prepare to apply for university and their student visa. The platform helps them understand each step of the process and gives them the confidence to submit a strong, well-planned application.
“2025 has been one of our strongest years yet. We launched several scholarship programmes globally, and the interest from students across Africa and LATAM was remarkable.
“Even though each cycle can only support a small number of winners, our recent Prodigy Finance Awards granted close to $40,000 to eight international students, including learners from Africa and Mexico. It became clear that we needed a broader solution for this region,” the Global Chief Business Officer at Prodigy Finance, Ms Sonal Kapoor, said.
”After nearly a year of work, we have launched a platform where students can explore multiple scholarship options, receive guidance on choosing universities and prepare their statements of purpose with confidence. That is why we built this service.
“It gives learners clarity about their choices and helps them plan their journey with purpose. This isn’t the kind of AI that replaces talent, it’s the kind that helps students unlock it,” she added.
Also commenting, the Head of Acquisition Strategy at Prodigy Finance and spokesperson for NovaGrad, Ms Mariana Alcocer, said, “I grew up in Colombia, and I know what it feels like to want something bigger than the place you grew up in.
“Many students across LATAM and Africa carry that same determination. They are ambitious and ready to work hard, yet the path in front of them isn’t always clear. The platform gives students the kind of guidance I wish I had in the past, a place where your options make sense and you don’t feel lost or alone.”
“Students aren’t looking for shortcuts. They want clarity. They want to know which universities align with their goals and how to present a strong application.
“The service brings all of that into one space. When students have the right tools, they move from doubt to confidence. That shift is exactly what the platform is built for,” she noted.
Prodigy Finance, a popular brand known for funding international students, has helped more than 45,000 masters students from 150 countries and has disbursed over $2.3 billion in funding.
Education
Human Rights Watch Urges FG to Protect Schools from Attacks
By Adedapo Adesanya
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Nigerian government to secure the safe release of students and teachers recently kidnapped in the country’s northwest and take concrete steps to protect schools and communities from further attacks.
In a statement on Tuesday, the rights body said, “The groups responsible for the kidnappings should immediately release the students and teachers they are holding captive.”
On November 18, 2025, over 20 schoolgirls were kidnapped by unidentified armed men from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi state.
Just three days later, on November 21, about 303 students and 12 teachers were kidnapped at St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger state.
“These mass school kidnappings once again lay bare the deliberate targeting of students, teachers, and schools in Nigeria’s deteriorating security environment,” said Ms Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The deepening crisis underscores the government’s failure to protect vulnerable communities.”
Human Rights Watch said it spoke with parents of two of the girls abducted in Kebbi state. Mrs Isa Nazifi, whose 13-year-old daughter Khadija Nazifi, a junior secondary school student, was among those abducted.
“I immediately took a motorbike and rushed to the school, where I found my second daughter, also a student at the school. She told me Khadija had been taken. We are extremely worried. My wife is in tears. I will stay here at the school until my daughter returns. If I go home without her, what will I tell my family?”
Also, Mr Sani Zimri, whose daughter, Salima Sani Zimri, is a senior secondary school student who was also abducted, said he had heard rumors from other parents of a possible attack by bandits the week before the incident.
“We developed confidence after seeing military operatives surveilling the area, only to realize that there were no security operatives on the premises for the entire three hours that the incident occurred,” he was quoted in a statement by HRW.
The rights group also noted that the development was not new and dates back as far as 2014 and has been occuring with successive governments.
Human Rights Watch said Nigerian authorities have failed to apply lessons from previous attacks to create early warning systems and other measures that could prevent these atrocities.
In response to the recent kidnappings, the government has promised to rescue the kidnapped students and hold those responsible accountable. President Bola Tinubu directed security agencies to act swiftly to bring the girls back while also urging local communities to share intelligence.
The authorities have also shut down 47 federal secondary schools known as Federal Unity Colleges, and some states including Katsina, Taraba, and Niger have also closed schools or restricted school activities, particularly boarding institutions.
The rights group lamented that while these measures are aimed at protecting students, they have disrupted learning for thousands of children, denying them access to education and the social and psychological support schools provide.
“Without concrete measures to provide alternative learning opportunities to ensure continuity in their education, the students are at risk of falling behind academically and facing long term setbacks in their development,” the statement added.
It explains that since Nigeria is a signatory to the Safe Schools Declaration, the government should move with urgency to advance a proposal to introduce legislation to implement the Safe Schools Declaration.
“Children in Nigeria have the right to go to school without fearing for their lives,” Ms Ewang said. “Nigerian authorities should prioritize the safe release of the kidnapped children and their teachers and bring those responsible for their abduction to justice.”
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