The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) has suspended the implementation of the newly introduced ₦580,000 tuition fee for nursing students following protests by students.
The decision was announced by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Joseph Ugboaja, during an appearance on The Morning Brief on Channels Television.
The fee hike had triggered widespread outrage after students protested a more than 500% increase in tuition—from ₦90,000 to ₦580,000.
According to Ugboaja, the suspension followed consultations with student leaders, the school management, and the governing board after the protests.
He explained that the students’ main complaint was that they were not fully involved in the final decision-making process, even though they were aware that a fee review was being considered.
“We have stopped it and the committee will go back to meet with the students so everyone can agree on the way forward,” he said.
Fee Still “Lowest in the South-East”
Despite suspending the new fee, Ugboaja defended the proposed increase, insisting that the ₦580,000 tuition would still be the lowest among similar nursing programmes in South-East Nigeria.
He explained that the review became necessary after the school transitioned from the RN/RM basic nursing programme to the ND/HND structure introduced by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
Under the new system:
- Some students are still in the basic nursing/midwifery programme paying ₦90,000.
- Others are now enrolled in the ND/HND nursing programme, which operates under a different fee structure.
Funding Challenges
Ugboaja also highlighted financial difficulties facing teaching hospitals, noting that they do not receive intervention funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
According to him, the proposed fee adjustment was partly aimed at improving infrastructure and helping NAUTH achieve its goal of becoming one of the top three teaching hospitals in Nigeria by 2030.
For now, however, the ₦580,000 fee remains suspended while management and students continue discussions to reach a mutually acceptable solution.
