OAU student leaders meet over N100,000 ‘professional fee’

The Students’ Union of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile‑Ife announced that it would hold an emergency meeting on Thursday in response to a newly proposed “professional fee” at the university’s College of Health Sciences. College administrators reportedly announced at a colloquium that a N100,000 fee would be required from students starting the next session. OAU is concluding its 2021/22 academic year after the election break.

A medical student, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Confirming that the college management warned, “If we like we should call the Students’ Union, they are ready to close the college. It is not their time that we would waste.” In a statement signed by the union’s President (Olayiwola Festus), Secretary‑General (Odewale Damilare) and Public Relations Officer (Ogunperi Taofeek), the leaders confirmed the emergency meeting. The statement read: “This evening, it was brought to the attention of the Union leadership that there is an increment of N100,000 tagged ‘medical professional fees’ in the College of Health Sciences. In order to address this issue properly and for the benefit of students, the Central Executive Council is holding an emergency meeting immediately.” As of press time, no report from the meeting had been received, and a response from the university spokesperson, Abiodun Olanrewaju, was still pending.

The controversy echoes a similar episode in 2018, when medical students at the same college unanimously rejected an N85,000 professional training fee. At that time, Provost Professor T.K. Ijadunola instructed student leaders from the various health‑science faculties to consult their peers and decide on the levy. After meetings among nursing, medical and dental students, the levy was rejected, and the leaders were asked to return for further negotiations. During a meeting on October 17, 2018, Provost Ijadunola explained that the N85,000 fee stemmed from financial challenges faced by federal colleges of medicine, including OAU. He noted that the training of medical students is largely funded by alumni, friends and staff, a situation common to all federally owned schools, and urged that students and parents begin to contribute financially to their education.