 |
| Lagos State University of Education |
Pioneer degree holders of the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) have drawn a firm line against what they describe as an excessive ₦118,000 convocation fee, framing the charge as both financially unrealistic and poorly timed for a generation already navigating Nigeria’s high cost of living, NYSC preparations, and the lingering effects of years of economic pressure.
The group, operating as Concerned LASUED Pioneer Graduands and speaking through a joint statement signed by Akinteye Babtee Babatunde, has rejected the fee in its current form. They are demanding an immediate and substantial reduction, an extension of the tight payment window, and, if no affordable compromise emerges, consideration of postponing the ceremony altogether. Their core argument is straightforward: the amount does not reflect the economic realities faced by students who have just completed their degrees and must now fund clothing, transport, photography, possible accommodation for the event, and the additional costs of mobilising for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camps expected in November.
According to an internal university notice, Class of 2026 pioneer degree graduands are required to pay the approved package through the university portal between 12 and 30 October. The breakdown is itemised as follows: ₦20,000 for the academic gown, ₦50,000 for the brochure and certificate, ₦35,000 for the convocation package, ₦5,000 for online clearance, ₦5,000 for alumni registration, and ₦3,000 for a plagiarism check—bringing the total to ₦118,000.
RECOMMENDED
◼︎▶︎ NYSC: A Living Bridge for Nigerian Unity – Why the Army’s Endorsement Matters Beyond the Barracks
“₦118,000 is simply too much to bear,” the statement declared. Graduands noted that the mandatory fee sits on top of other unavoidable personal expenses tied to the ceremony itself. “We cannot celebrate an academic milestone at the expense of our financial stability and peace of mind,” they added. The group stressed that their protest is not an attempt to diminish the significance of convocation but a call for fairness and empathy toward students who have already invested years of effort and family resources to earn their degrees.
A Young University and Its First Degree Class
LASUED is still a relatively new institution. It was formally established in 2022 through the conversion and merger of two long-standing colleges of education—Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) in Oto/Ijanikin and Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED) in Epe—under the administration of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The move was part of a deliberate expansion of tertiary education capacity in Lagos, which previously relied heavily on the older Lagos State University (LASU). The National Universities Commission (NUC) granted recognition, and the university began admitting students into dozens of programmes across several colleges focused on education, humanities, sciences, vocational studies, and related fields.
The current graduands represent the first full cohort of degree holders produced under the new university structure—a milestone that management has understandably wanted to mark with ceremony and formality. Under the leadership of pioneer Vice-Chancellor Professor Bidemi Bilkis Lafiaji-Okuneye, a health education specialist and former provost of AOCOED, the institution has moved quickly on accreditation, infrastructure upgrades, and mobilisation of its pioneering graduates for NYSC.
Recent reports confirmed that LASUED successfully processed its first set of corps members, an achievement the university has publicly celebrated.
Yet the fee dispute arrives at a sensitive moment. When LASUED and the sister institution
LASUSTECH were created, the state government intervened to slash proposed tuition from around ₦195,000 to ₦68,000 for pioneer students—an explicit recognition of economic pressures on families. Current school fees for LASUED students remain relatively moderate by Lagos standards (in the range of roughly ₦100,000–₦131,000 depending on level and category for recent sessions), but the sudden appearance of a ₦118,000 one-time convocation charge has struck many as inconsistent with that earlier affordability stance.
How LASUED’s Fee Compares with Established Universities
A look at recent convocation charges at more established institutions highlights why the figure has provoked strong reaction. At the University of Lagos (UNILAG), recent bachelor’s degree convocation-related payments have been reported in the region of ₦15,000 to around ₦40,000 depending on whether students hire or purchase gowns and packages, with additional optional or separate alumni fees. Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) has listed bachelor’s degree charges around ₦40,000.
Lagos State University (LASU) has previously required figures in the lower tens of thousands of naira for first-degree graduands in some cycles.
LASUED’s ₦118,000 total is therefore notably higher than the mainstream public university averages for undergraduate convocation packages in recent years. The largest single line items—₦50,000 for brochure and certificate and ₦35,000 for the “convocation package”—account for the bulk of the difference and have drawn particular scrutiny. While universities commonly recover costs for printed materials, certificates, and ceremonial logistics, the scale of these components relative to the institution’s age and the students’ economic position has become a focal point of criticism.
Economic Realities Facing Graduates in 2026
Nigeria’s macroeconomic environment continues to shape student and household budgets even as headline inflation has moderated from the extreme peaks of previous years. National Bureau of Statistics data in mid-to-late 2026 showed headline inflation hovering in the mid-teens (around 15.4 percent in August), with food inflation remaining significantly higher. Education-services inflation itself rose notably in the lead-up to the new academic year. Everyday costs—food, transport, data, and accommodation—still consume a large share of limited incomes.
For many fresh graduates, the period between final clearance and NYSC orientation is already expensive. Corps members currently receive a federal allowance of ₦77,000 per month (plus varying state stipends), but the initial outlay for camp—travel, kits, personal effects, and contingency funds—often runs into tens of thousands of naira before the first allowance arrives. Adding a mandatory ₦118,000 university fee within a two-week window in October compresses an already tight cash-flow period. Families that stretched to cover multi-year tuition and living costs during studies now face another substantial demand just as their children transition out of campus life.
Public reaction on social platforms has reflected this pressure, with some commenters urging the Lagos State Government—as the university’s visitor and primary funder—to intervene in the same spirit that earlier reduced pioneer tuition fees.
What the Graduands Are Asking For—and What Remains Unresolved
The Concerned LASUED Pioneer Graduands have set out four clear positions: rejection of the ₦118,000 structure as currently constituted; an urgent review leading to a substantial reduction; extension of the payment deadline beyond 30 October; and openness to postponing the ceremony if an affordable resolution cannot be reached. They have called on stakeholders and fellow graduands to channel concerns through representative channels rather than unstructured confrontation, emphasising that the goal is dialogue and fairness rather than disruption.
As of the latest available reports, the university management had not issued a public response to the statement. That silence leaves several practical questions open: whether the fee structure can be unbundled (for example, making certain items optional or staged), whether subsidies or instalment options are feasible for a pioneer cohort, and how the institution balances the legitimate costs of a formal first convocation against the risk of alienating the very graduates whose success it seeks to celebrate.
RELATED
◼︎▶︎ Tinubu’s First Lady Charts Path From Hard Reforms to Tangible Prosperity Ahead of 2027
A Wider Pattern in Nigerian Higher Education
The LASUED dispute is not isolated. Across federal and state universities, students and parents have repeatedly raised concerns about the accumulation of charges—acceptance fees, laboratory levies, ICT fees, clearance costs, and end-of-programme packages—that can turn the final year into a financial gauntlet. The introduction of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has eased some tuition pressure for eligible students, yet it does not automatically cover one-off ceremonial or clearance fees, and many institutions have simultaneously adjusted their own charges upward.
For a specialised education-focused university still building its reputation and alumni base, the optics of the first degree convocation matter. A ceremony that feels accessible and inclusive can strengthen institutional loyalty; one that leaves many graduates financially strained risks the opposite effect.
The pioneer class of LASUED has completed a historic journey—from the transition of two legacy colleges into a full university through to the production of its first degree holders and their mobilisation for national service. Whether that journey ends with a celebration that graduates can afford, or with lingering resentment over cost, now depends on how management, the state government, and the graduands themselves navigate the coming days and weeks. The demand for a reduced, more realistic fee is, at its core, a request that the institution apply the same consideration of economic reality that guided its founding tuition decisions four years ago.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Technology.
Post a Comment