UNIJOS Students Union Government Reacts to Alleged Increment in School Charges

The Students Union Government (SUG) of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) held an emergency meeting on September 30, 2024, to address the numerous complaints from students regarding alleged increases in school fees. The meeting, which took place at the Students Village Cafeteria, brought together both the SUG executive and parliament to discuss these pressing concerns.

According to a joint communiqué released by the SUG, the body was not consulted or informed prior to the release of the school charges breakdown. The union expressed disappointment at this, suggesting that the additions might be due to technical glitches rather than deliberate fee increments.

Key observations made during the meeting included:

• SUG Dues Increment: The SUG dues were increased to ₦2,000 without prior discussion with the union. The SUG has officially dissociated itself from this increment.
• Duplicate NUGA Charges: The Nigeria Universities Games Association (NUGA) fees appeared twice in the breakdown. The union has classified this as a human error rather than an increment.
• Lub/Studio Fees for Non-Science Students: Non-science students were erroneously charged Lub/Studio fees, which the union believes is due to technical glitches.
• Computer-Based Test (GST) Charges: Some students who no longer offer General Studies (GST) courses were still charged for them, another issue the SUG attributed to a technical error.

The SUG assured the student body, that it had already begun engaging with university management to determine whether these issues were a result of fee increments or errors. The union vowed to protect the interests of the students and to keep them informed of any further developments.

SUG President, Sambo Nancwat Peter, and Speaker, Rt. Hon. Joshua Ugwumba, reassured Jossites of their commitment to resolving the matter and ensuring transparency.