The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), South East Zone F, has given the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) a seven-day ultimatum to reverse the recent 'outrageous' and 'unilateral' fee increments, which the student body describes as a 'draconian assault' on education.

In a press release dated January 9, 2026, NANS condemned the over 100% hike in fees, highlighting that acceptance fees have jumped to N50,000 and tuition fees have skyrocketed from approximately N122,000 to N243,900, excluding accommodation and other essential costs.

The Zone F Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi, emphasized that the increment places an 'egregious and unsustainable burden' on students and their families, creating an 'indefensible economic barrier' that could exclude countless brilliant but indigent students from accessing quality education.

NANS revealed that it had engaged in strategic consultations since becoming aware of the hike in December, including raising the issue at a recent Expanded National Executive Council (ENEC) meeting in Abuja, which featured a joint hearing with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform.

According to the release, the Federal Government, through the Committee's Chairman, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, had given explicit assurances that the new national tax reform law was not designed to cause arbitrary tuition fee hikes in tertiary institutions. NANS stated that this assurance was pivotal in its national decision to call off a proposed nationwide protest.

The action of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka administration, therefore, stands in stark contradiction to this federal assurance and is an independent act of insensitivity, the statement read.

NANS South East Zone F has issued the following demands: 1. The immediate and total reversal of the fee increments to their previous amounts. 2. The establishment of transparent and inclusive dialogue mechanisms between the university management and the student community. 3. A commitment to improved student welfare on the UNN and UNEC campuses, addressing infrastructure, security, and learning conditions.

The association has issued a 7-day ultimatum, expiring on January 16, 2026, for the university's Governing Council and Management to meet these demands fully. Failure to comply, NANS warned, would result in 'the greatest mass action it [UNN] has ever witnessed,' including a total shutdown of academic and administrative activities.

We are resolved to mobilize every legitimate means at our disposal... until justice is served and our demands are met to the letter, the statement declared.

NANS has consequently directed all current and prospective UNN students to halt any further fee payments pending the resolution of the impasse. The press release was copied to the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, the Governing Council, security agencies, the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National President of NANS, and media houses.