UNILAG Students Boycott Lab Session Over Fee Hike
The obligatory fee rose from N21,000 to N140,750, and N170,250 for students who offer laboratory specialized courses.
Chukwuebuka Aniakor 
Students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) boycotted a laboratory session on Monday in protest against the school management’s decision to impose lab manual and consumable fees. The students from the Department of Chemistry refused to attend a hands-on practical session, citing a breach of directive between the department authorities and the students.
The university had earlier increased school fees and other sundry charges. The obligatory fee rose from N21,000 to N140,750, and N170,250 for students who offer laboratory specialized courses. As part of the fee increments, laboratory charges were pegged at N40,000.
Despite these increases, the department released a memo stating that laboratory manuals or materials were no longer for sale. This led to an outcry from the students, one of whom lamented, "Why ask us to buy manuals and consumables again after we’ve paid N40,000 for lab? This was not what they promised. We are still being forced to buy reagents despite the crazy fee hike.”
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In a twist, a fresh memo, claiming to be the resolutions from a management meeting with the deans, stated that laboratory manuals were now available for sale at the university bookshop. It further stated that students must purchase the required manual to gain access to the laboratory.
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The school management’s move was met with widespread criticism by affected students across the university. While the UNILAG authorities have claimed that it was necessary to increase fees and other charges to guarantee the smooth-running of the school, there seems to be a deadlock. The students have called on the management to uphold its end of the bargain or risk facing an uprising in the days to come.
