Students at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM) are in uproar over what they describe as an unbearable financial burden imposed on higher education access. In a strong statement signed by leaders of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) North Central Zone C, the students are demanding the immediate resignation of the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Nathaniel Itodo, and a full investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into alleged mismanagement and lack of transparency in the students’ union.
The protest, which has gained traction on social media platforms like Facebook, highlights a series of sharp fee increases announced by the university that have pushed ordinary Nigerian students to the brink. According to the statement, school fees at JOSTUM have jumped from ₦78,000 to ₦150,000 per semester. Acceptance fees rose from ₦23,700 to ₦150,000, while hostel fees more than doubled by over 100 percent. Clinic fees climbed from ₦4,000 to ₦15,000, and a new ₦10,000 admission processing fee was introduced. These changes, the students argue, amount to a direct attack on the accessibility of university education.
The outrage is framed around broader systemic failures. The statement accuses the management of mismanaging the National Education Loan Fund (Nelfund) and the students’ union, creating an environment where students are being “pushed to the wall.” It draws a powerful parallel to global principles of justice, stating that “an injustice to one is an injustice to all,” and calls for accountability, transparency, and affordable education for all Nigerians.
Criticism is leveled at the federal government’s policies under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has been credited with efforts to make education more affordable nationwide. The students say these university-level hikes are undermining those national aspirations and making higher education increasingly unattainable for ordinary families.
The call to action is unequivocal: “GREAT MAKURDIANS: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! ITO DO MUST GO! EFCC MUST INVESTIGATE!” The statement was signed by Azeez Adigun Abiola, Coordinator of NANS North Central (Zone C), and publicly read by Adams Gabriel Prosper, Public Relations Officer of the same body.
This student-led protest at JOSTUM is part of a growing wave of concerns across Nigerian universities about rising costs, poor governance, and the broader challenges facing access to quality education in the country. Whether the demands will lead to investigations, fee reversals, or changes in leadership at JOSTUM remains to be seen, but the intensity of the reaction underscores how deeply these financial pressures are affecting students and their families.
