Why BUK was ‘forced’ to raise registration fees—VC

Professor Sagir Adamu-Abbas, the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University in Kano, revealed that the university was compelled to raise student tuition as a result of the “enormous” cost of maintaining the campus.

Adamu-Abass stated that the school had a monthly electrical bill of N35m while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Sunday.

He added that the university administration had put in place a number of steps to lessen the effects of the elimination of fuel subsidies on the staff and the recent increases in registration fees on the students.

The National Universities Commission revised the curriculum to guarantee that Nigerian graduates could compete on the international stage, the don said in further remarks about youth unemployment.

“Nigerian universities—not just BUK—must redesign their curricula,” the VC declared. However, as you are aware, the NUC has already started that process, and we have already entered our login information and sent the NUC our 30% curriculum review.

“When creating the 30% curriculum, we took into account business and professional organizations. We completed that and submitted it to the NUC. When students graduate, they can easily find employment in sectors or start their own businesses, the speaker claimed.

The Vice Chancellor bemoaned that “the cost of running the institution was enormous, especially the high cost of provision of electricity, which he estimated at about 75 million monthly” when discussing the rise in registration fees. The monthly cost of energy is approximately N35 million, whilst the cost of diesel for generator purchases is approximately N40 million.

“With a student population of about 45,000, it was virtually impossible for the management to provide social services, including a counseling center,”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, among other staff unions, and students were fully consulted before the raise was decided. The university also implemented welfare programs for its employees, including no-interest loans from microfinance institutions due in six months.

“Other incentives introduced to cushion the effect of the increase in fuel price that has caused the high price of commodities, were the provision of foodstuffs, shuttle buses, and bicycle loans for junior staff payable within nine months at a cheaper rate,” he stated.

He also revealed that the university had set up a work program for students, under which they were hired to perform certain tasks for the institution in exchange for a monthly salary of N15,000.

Because it doesn’t need as much of their time as some jobs within the institution, such as cleaning particular areas or providing certain services in exchange for payment at the end of the month, it doesn’t interfere with their regular learning.

He stated that when this was first established, over 2,000 students applied, and 120 of them received offers. He also stated that during the next recruitment that would be conducted right after the students returned to university, the number would be increased to 150.