The Students’ Union of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), an institution meant to represent and protect student interests, has become nothing more than a legalized extortion machine. Rather than defending students, they are now the ones bleeding them dry.
Students are forced to pay N6,000–N8,000 per session to the student union Under the guise of faculty and departmental fees, according to the university’s statistics, the student population currently stands at 59,159. The minimum amount paid by each student for departmental and faculty fees is ₦6,000.
Let’s break that down:
59,159 × 6,000 = ₦354,954,000
(In words: Three Hundred and Fifty-Four Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand Naira)
When questioned, they claimed the funds were used for orientation for newly admitted students a responsibility that rightly belongs to the Student Affairs Division. They also mentioned a sessional event called “Dinner Night,” which should be optional, as not all students are interested in late-night parties. Worse still, entrance tickets were sold at the event, despite already using the departmental and faculty fees to organize it. it becomes a cash cow for union executives and their loyal enablers.
Beyond that, students are still required to pay an additional ₦200 as class dues to cover basic classroom needs like markers, attendance books, pens, board cleaners, and other materials., further raising questions about what the union does with the millions it collects. Those who attempt to resist are threatened not just by the union, but by lecturers who back them. Any protest is met with academic blackmail: no payment, no exam, If you refuse to pay you won’t be allowed to write the exam. The lecturers have made the departmental and faculty fee receipts mandatory documents required for clearance.
This has become a systemic racket, where students are being forced to choose between paying illegal fees or jeopardizing their academic future.
We call on the Federal and State Ministries of Education to urgently investigate this institutionalized robbery. The FUOYE Students’ Union, in collaboration with some academic staff, is actively exploiting students, and this illegality must be stopped. Students deserve protection, not oppression.
Concerned Fuoye Students