Parents and guardians of newly admitted students at the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo town, have decried what they described as an “astronomical increase” in tuition fees, warning that many students risk dropping out.
The aggrieved families said the new fees are beyond reach in Nigeria’s current economic hardship and appealed to Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to urgently intervene.
According to them, tuition for Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, which stood at ₦1,683,500 for indigenes during the 2024/2025 session, has been raised to ₦2,000,000 for the 2025/2026 session. Non-indigenes, who previously paid ₦2,245,000, are now expected to cough out ₦2,600,000.
The parents further lamented that the increment excludes other compulsory charges such as ₦20,000 for the Post-UTME form and ₦100,000 as acceptance fee.
In a statement titled “Astronomical Increase Of School Fees At University Of Medical Sciences, Ondo City, Ondo State: Save Our Souls (SOS) To Mr. Governor,” the parents accused the institution of compounding the suffering of families already struggling to feed.
They stressed that even with the previous fees, many parents were borrowing to pay in instalments of 60% and 40%. The fresh increment, they warned, would force countless students out of school.
“We are dying, sapped, and economically fatigued by the worsening economy. Our amiable Governor must intervene so our children don’t drop out,” the statement read.
The parents also called on civil society organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the university management to reverse the increment and review the old fees downward.
