Private universities can charge what they like, FG can’t do anything — Minister

Private universities can charge whatever fees they feel is profitable for their operation and not even the Federal Government can stop them, says the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka.

According to a The Nation report, the minister said this while fielding questions from journalists on Wednesday after meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) where the establishment of nine new private universities was approved.

Chidoka, who also said all Federal universities in the country are tuition free, revealed that the government is only concerned about the school's standards with regards to facilities and staffing.

“Government really does not have anything to do as far as what the private institutions are charging. Tuition is free in public schools,” Chidoka said.

"All that is the responsibility of government is to ensure that the standards are maintained.

“We are to ensure that they are operating within the minimum required standard, and that is the responsibility of the NUC in terms of their facilities, staffing and so on.

“The accreditation of any universities or courses has nothing to do with the fees they charge just like the private hospitals.

The Minister said Nigerians have an option in public schools, boating that no no Federal university charges tuition-fee.

“As far as government is concerned, all Federal Government universities are tuition-free. Whatever the universities are charging are so minimal for some day-to-day activities: games fees, union fees and some other fees," he said.

Chidoka noted that schools may charge other fees, but argued that the charged fees are not tuition-fees.

"There is a university that is charging as low as N20,000, N15,000. Some charge N30, 000 to N80, 000 or so which is a composition of a number of different kinds of fees. But basically, no university owned by government is charging tuition fee."

Some Nigerians, especially students of public schools, may not accept Chidoka's position on tuition-fees.

It will be recalled that, in 2014, there were all lot of students’ protests over the country over tuition-fee hikes.