Falana Condemns Nigerian Government, Gov Sanwo-Olu Over School Fees Hike, Vows Legal Action
By Okafor Joseph Afam
September 18, 2024
Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has strongly criticized the Nigerian and Lagos State governments for recent school fee hikes, branding the increases as unlawful and a violation of children’s rights. Falana made his remarks on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, as he vowed to take legal action to reverse the contentious policy.
The Lagos State government, led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, recently raised boarding school fees in state-owned institutions from N35,000 to N100,000. This followed an earlier decision by the Nigerian government in July 2023, which increased fees in Unity Schools from N45,000 to N100,000.
Falana argued that these actions are illegal, citing the Child’s Rights Law, which guarantees free and compulsory education for children through junior secondary school. “This increase is not just economically insensitive but also a violation of the law,” he said.
The lawyer emphasized that with a minimum wage of N70,000, most families cannot afford the new fees. “A worker’s total salary over a four-month term amounts to N280,000, which is insufficient to send even one child to either a Unity School or a state secondary school in Lagos,” he added.
Falana further highlighted the unused funds under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). “On July 10, 2024, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, UBEC’s Executive Secretary, revealed that over N45.7 billion in matching grants allocated for Universal Basic Education between 2020 and 2023 has gone unutilised by many state governments,” he noted.
In his view, these resources should be employed to make education more affordable, rather than imposing burdensome fees on students. Falana announced his intention to challenge the fee hikes in court, calling for a reversal to ensure that the rights of Nigerian students and their families are protected.
Falana concluded, “We will not stand by while the fundamental rights of children are trampled upon. We will challenge this illegality in the appropriate High Court to ensure every Nigerian child has access to affordable education, as guaranteed by law.”
