UNN Students Protest Compulsory N30,000 Development Fee

Students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Enugu Campus have staged a protest against a compulsory N30,000 “development levy” imposed by the school authorities. The demonstration, initiated by the Health Science Students Association (HESSA), drew widespread attention as students expressed frustration over being required to pay the fee before sitting for exams. They described the levy as unexpected and lacking clear justification from the administration.

The protest was concentrated at the UNEC main gate after repeated attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue with deans and the provost proved unsuccessful. Prior to taking to the streets, departmental stakeholders had held meetings with school authorities seeking clarification on the purpose of the levy, but they said the explanations offered were vague and unsatisfactory. Students were particularly angered by the condition that payment of the N30,000 fee was mandatory to write their exams.

The development levy, introduced in August, affected students across different levels. With regular school fees already at approximately N104,900, many questioned the necessity of an additional charge, noting that development costs were supposedly covered in existing fees.

Although HESSA coordinated the protest, students from various faculties joined in solidarity. The demonstration prompted the school administration to temporarily suspend the payment requirement. A subsequent memo confirmed that exams would proceed without the immediate payment of the levy.

One student, who spoke anonymously, said: “I just don’t agree with the payment. We already pay for manual registration of our college courses and other charges. Adding this so-called development fee makes no sense. It feels like an attempt to extort students.”

While the protest has eased tensions on campus, questions about transparency in student levies remain. Exams are set to continue, but the larger issue of accountability in fee structures still lingers.