Ex-LASU VC Says Public Universities Need ₦1m Annual Tuition to Survive

A former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has said Nigerian public universities may need to charge students at least ₦1 million annually to achieve financial sustainability.

Olatunji-Bello, who served as LASU’s ninth Vice-Chancellor, made the remarks while discussing ways public universities could reduce their reliance on government funding and generate sufficient revenue to meet their operational needs.

Ex-LASU VC Says Public Universities Need ₦1m Annual Tuition to Survive

She said universities could boost their income through innovation and other revenue-generating activities, but acknowledged that managing institutional finances remained a major challenge.

According to her, LASU generates about ₦13 billion in internally generated revenue (IGR), but this is still insufficient to meet the university’s salary obligations.

She disclosed that the university’s monthly wage bill is now more than ₦1 billion. In addition, LASU spends approximately ₦140 million each month on electricity, while substantial funds are also required for security, cleaning, diesel and academic activities, including inaugural lectures.

Olatunji-Bello added that the university provides a further ₦240 million every month to support salary payments, highlighting the financial pressures confronting public universities.

Comparing university fees with the cost of secondary education, the former vice-chancellor noted that some secondary schools charge more than ₦1 million per term, while students at some public universities pay about ₦100,000 or less in annual fees.

She therefore argued that universities seeking greater financial independence would need to substantially increase tuition fees.

“Any public university that wants to sustain financial independence will have to charge school fees of not less than N1m per student.”

Olatunji-Bello also stressed that maintaining academic standards requires adequate funding and urged parents to treat their children’s education as an important financial priority.

Her comments come amid continuing concerns over the affordability of higher education in Nigeria, as households contend with rising living costs and other financial pressures.

Meanwhile, the University of Ibadan has released details of tuition fees, examination charges and other payments for newly admitted PhD Law students. The published fees do not include transaction and graduation charges.

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Ex-LASU VC Says Public Universities Need ₦1m Annual Tuition to Survive
Ex-LASU VC Says Public Universities Need ₦1m Annual Tuition to Survive
Ex-LASU VC Says Public Universities Need ₦1m Annual Tuition to Survive
Ex-LASU VC Says Public Universities Need ₦1m Annual Tuition to Survive