NANS Sends Message to University of Lagos as Institution Suddenly Shuts School Fees Payment Portal
- NANS president wrote to the University of Lagos management over the closure of its school fees and course registration portal on June 21
- The student body said the portal shutdown could bar many students from sitting for exams scheduled to begin on August 10
- NANS linked the issue to Nigeria's economic hardship and the government's NELFUND student loan programme
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Yaba, UNILAG - The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Friday, July 31, formally wrote to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) management, urging the institution to reopen its school fees payment and course registration portal.
Legit.ng reports that the student body requested that the portal remain open for at least 48 hours to give affected students an opportunity to complete their registration before examinations begin.
The appeal, signed by NANS president Akinteye Afeez Babatunde, came in response to UNILAG's decision to shut down the portal on June 21, roughly seven weeks before the first examinations are due on August 10.
Source: Twitter
Students risk missing exams
NANS said scores of students had been actively working to settle their fees when the university pulled access, leaving them unable to complete course registration. The association warned that without intervention, those students could be barred from writing their examinations, effectively disrupting their academic progress.
The student body described the timing of the closure as "a direct attack" on the federal government's push to widen access to tertiary education through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which is designed to support students who cannot immediately afford tuition. NANS argued that many families are still struggling under the weight of the country's economic hardship, and that students who depend on NELFUND or are gradually raising their fees deserve more time to fulfil their obligations.
"We request that the UNILAG management reopen the portal for payment and registration for at least forty-eight hours to give affected students one last opportunity to complete their registration ahead of the examinations," the statement said.
NANS calls for compassion
While NANS stopped short of questioning the university's right to set its own administrative timelines, the association called on management to exercise discretion given the financial pressures many students and their families currently face. It urged the institution to show flexibility rather than enforce a deadline that, in the association's view, does not reflect the economic realities on the ground.
NANS also used the statement to reaffirm its broader commitment to ensuring that no Nigerian student loses access to education solely because of an inability to pay fees on time, pledging to keep pushing for policies that protect students in difficult financial circumstances.
Source: Getty Images
Read NANS' full statement below, as shared on President Akinteye Babatunde Afeez's verified X account:
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UNILAG students shine at AI hackathon
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that two student teams from UNILAG clinched top honours at the Data Science Nigeria (DSN) x Bluechip Technologies (BCT) Data & AI Summit Hackathon 3.0.
The university reinforced its reputation as a hub of innovation by securing both the first runner-up and second runner-up positions in the competition.
Team Orbit, comprising Fakorode Henry (Team Lead, 200-level, Electrical and Electronics Engineering), Adeyemi Muiz (200-level, Electrical and Electronics Engineering), and Raheem Akapo (200-level, Systems Engineering), finished as the first runner-up with their solution, SABI (Streaming Agent for Behavioural Intelligence).
Source: Legit.ng
