Owolabi University VC Samuel Adedotun Questions Demand for Free University Education After Costly Secondary School Fees
Owolabi University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samuel Adedotun, has called for greater investment in Nigerian university education, questioning why some parents who pay substantial private secondary-school fees expect free university education.
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Vice-Chancellor of Owolabi University, Oke-Ila Orangun, Osun State, Professor Samuel Adedotun, has questioned why some parents who pay substantial private secondary-school fees expect free university education for their children.
Speaking with journalists at the university’s Osogbo campus on Friday, October 23, 2026, Adedotun said adequate funding was essential to quality teaching, research and the provision of learning facilities.
He argued that expectations of quality university education must be matched by an understanding of the financial resources required to sustain it.
“Some parents will pay as much as ₦500,000 or more per term in secondary school. In three terms, they would have paid over ₦1 million. These parents may have two or three children in secondary school at a time. After secondary school, they will want a free university education for these same children. You cannot get the best out of such a system,” he said.
Adedotun urged parents and other stakeholders to take education funding more seriously, maintaining that insufficient investment could undermine academic standards.
The vice-chancellor also called for more universities to accommodate qualified candidates who are unable to secure admission.
He said existing public universities lacked sufficient places for all eligible applicants, while access to private institutions depended on families’ ability to afford their fees.
“The truth is that we don’t have enough universities,” he said.
On the institution’s academic offerings, Adedotun disclosed that Owolabi University had secured National Universities Commission accreditation for 15 programmes across three faculties.
He listed the faculties as Allied Health Sciences, Science and Computing, and Management and Social Sciences.
According to him, programmes in the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences include Nursing, Physiotherapy, Public Health, Nutrition and Dietetics, and Medical Laboratory Science.
Adedotun said the university’s proprietors prioritised service delivery and relevant academic opportunities. He encouraged prospective students, parents and guardians to explore its programmes and confirm admission requirements through authorised university channels.
His remarks highlight the continuing debate over how universities can secure sustainable funding while preserving access for qualified students from different financial backgrounds.
