JAF rejects fee hike in federal varsities, calls for mass protest

The Joint Action Front (JAF) has condemned the recent hike in fees across federal universities in Nigeria. 

Several federal universities have raised their fees in recent months.

The fee increase, affecting both fresh and returning students operating regular programmes, has also caused widespread protests across campuses.

In a statement on Saturday, Dipo Fashina, the JAF chairperson, described the hikes in federal varsity fees as “callous and insensitive”.

The group also demanded an immediate reversal and adequate funding of public education at all levels.

JAF called on labour unions, students and poor masses to support the struggle against the “outrageous fee hikes with a series of mass activities including general strike and mass protests”.

“The Joint Action Front (JAF) condemns the current wave of hikes in school fees in the public universities and other tertiary institutions across the country and we therefore, demand immediate reversal and adequate funding of public education at all levels,” the statement reads.

“The increments, we note, are as high as 800 percent in some of the universities. We consider this as callous and insensitive as it adds to the burden of working people and the poor who are already in pain under the deadweight of the criminal hike in petrol prices, naira devaluation, and other anti-poor neo-liberal policies of the Bola Tinubu’s regime which account for high inflation and economic hardship.

“JAF holds that in the face of the current serious economic crises, many students from working class and the poor background will be denied access to tertiary education if these fee hikes are not reversed.

“Therefore, we urge the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, education workers unions (ASUU, NASU, SSANU, NAAT, NUT, etc.) and pro-masses organisations to actively support the struggle against the outrageous fee hikes.

“A united struggle of workers, students and the poor masses, with a series of mass activities including a day of nationwide action that includes general strike and mass protests, can force the anti-poor Tinubu regime to stop the fees’ hike and compel the regime to ensure proper funding to public education.”