Schooling With Tears: Nigerian Students Groan Under Economic Hardship

“When I started school, my transportation to and fro was only N100 each day. But now, I can no longer go to school regularly because I spend N800 whenever I go to school,” Onyekachi Ali lamented.

Ali, who is a student of the Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo, also stated that her house rent had increased from N65,000 to N95,000, a scary situation that forced her to find a roommate to share the rent with.

Ali’s case is not different from those of many other Nigerian students who are grappling with the current economic challenges in the country.

Nigeria is currently facing the worst ever economic crisis that is underscored by a sickening inflation and very high cost of living. These issues have had very negative impact on the country’s economy, and its citizens and dependent students are not finding it easy.

Even with the many “management strategies’ being adopted by the students, the situation is still not looking any better.

“My parents used to send me N5,000 which I would manage for two weeks. But now, it is never enough even though I have reduced my food intake to twice or even once sometimes,” Ali further stated.

Just like Ali, Amarachi Mbam, also a student of the Enugu State Polytechnic, had to skip lectures whenever she was short of transport fare to go to school. Mbam stated that she had to struggle to pay her house rent which the landlord increased without considering that his tenants were students.

“I am writing this with tears. It has been so difficult to buy the things I need due to the high cost of commodities. However, I just have to stick to the little i can afford,” she further stated.

In Sokoto State, the story isn’t any different. Aside the general increase in the cost of food items, most students said their parents are finding it difficult to pay their tuition fees and provide them with upkeep money.

Ahmed Hassan, an undergraduate of Economics at the Sokoto State University, noted that the economic crisis is stifling.

“I used to pay N200 to school, but now it’s 500 naira. While in school, I normally eat. But now, I can’t even afford food. Transport alone consumes all the money,” lamented Hassan.

Also speaking, Maryam Hassan, a final-year student of Political Science at the same university who lives off the school campus, said before now, her house rent was N50,000; “but now, I’m paying N95,000.”

“When we complained, the landlord told us about the inflation in the price of building materials. I don’t know how that is connected to a house that was built some decades ago.

“Even transportation fee has increased. Back then, the school bus was N50, but now, we pay N150. The cost of handouts has also increased. Before, a page was N10. But now, it’s N30 naira,” she complained bitterly.

Ridwan Garba, a National Diploma (ND) student of Computer Science from the Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto, lamented the high cost of transportation and how it has drastically affected his class attendance.

“I spend N1,200 on transport everyday, going and coming. How do you expect a student to get N1,200 daily? Some days, I trek halfway before taking a motorcycle just to reduce the cost of transportation,” he said.

He said three-square-meal is no longer certain for the students as they only feed twice a day due to the high cost of living.

“My only joy is that I am in my final year. I don’t have to pay school fees again. I’m just concerned for those who will be paying the school fees next year because every minute things are getting worse,” Rilwan further said.

While Rilwan is at least happy that he will be graduating soon, Motunrayo Aina wonders how she will navigate through the very harsh situation of things as a first-year student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

“To be frank, I haven’t adjusted at all,” she told THE WHISTLER.

She accused the traders around her school of deliberately increasing the prices of things, leaving the students at their mercy.

“Traders in the school tend to increase the prices of items. I feel that something like ‘subsidy’ should be placed on items and products in the school vicinity. That would ease our burden,” she said.

Aina said she is not relenting in seeking ways to ease her burden.

“My friends and I have started contributing and cooking together, but I guess it is only a temporary solution to this issue,” she said.

Students in Abuja, the federal capital of the country, are also not finding it easy. Grace Bam, a student of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), stated that the transport fare to her school has eaten deep into her pocket money, adding that she now regrets not seeking admission into the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

“At least, I would have been able to work and go to school. This situation is not funny any longer. The money I saved for two semesters did not last for even one semester,” she lamented.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, had recently introduced the ‘Na’Allah Campus Ride’ bicycles as an alternative means of transportation within the campus.

Abdul-Rasheed said the campus ride is aimed at facilitating the ease of movement for the institution’s students, but Bam argued that the measure will do nothing to ease the transportation situation.

Bam, who lives in Iddo Sarki, a community close to the campus, urged the school and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to provide buses with affordable transport fares for the residents.

Apart from the increased rent and the high cost of transportation and foodstuffs, many of the Nigerian students have had to also battle with the hike in school fees.

Recently, while reacting to the hike in school fees witnessed in many tertiary institutions in the country, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) called on the Federal Government to take immediate steps to prevent fee increase and to do away with unfair policies in tertiary institutions in the country.

The Nigerian Students umbrella body, in a statement by its president, Lucky Emonefe, expressed worry that with many students and their families facing financial challenges at the moment, they would definitely not be able to afford the full payment of their tuition fees at once.

The students are hoping that the proposed Student Loan Program of the Federal Government will, in a way, help to relieve the burden of tuition fees for the Nigerian students if it is eventually launched.

“The Student Loan Program represents hope for many Nigerian students, especially those facing financial hardship. It offers an opportunity for sons and daughters of ‘nobodies’ to access higher education, thereby leveling the playing field and fostering equal opportunities for all,” NANS Senate President, Akinteye Babatunde, said while speaking on the loan.