Amanze Chinonye
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Simon Ortuanya, has directed the immediate suspension of the ₦30,000 “Health Development Levy” imposed on students of the University’s Enugu Campus (UNEC), following widespread protests by medical and health sciences students earlier in the week.
The directive, contained in a memo dated October 10, 2025, and signed by the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of UNEC, Prof. J.J.U. Onwumere, instructed the Provost of the College of Medicine to halt collection of the levy “with immediate effect, pending further directives.”
According to the circular, the Vice Chancellor ordered that no student should be denied access to examinations over non-payment. “All students should, therefore, be allowed to sit for their examinations without hindrance,” the memo stated.
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The intervention came after widespread demonstrations rocked the Enugu campus earlier in the week, as students protested what they described as an “arbitrary and unjustified” charge.
The students had alleged that the faculty insisted on the payment of ₦30,000 from each student as a new “development levy,” with those yet to pay barred from sitting for their semester examinations.
Holding placards with inscriptions such as “Daylight extortion,” and “Is it students’ duty to develop the university?” the protesters marched through campus streets demanding the immediate reversal of the fee. They argued that it was not part of the approved tuition structure and accused the administration of introducing it without prior consultation or transparency.
The protest, which began on October 9, disrupted academic activities within the Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology and drew attention across social media platforms, with students accusing the university of exploiting them despite receiving significant government allocations for infrastructure.
Friday’s directive from the Vice Chancellor has been widely welcomed among the students, who described it as a victory for collective action. However, some have called for a formal apology from the university and assurances that similar levies will not be introduced in the future without due process.
As of press time, the university is yet to issue an official statement on whether the suspended levy will be permanently scrapped.
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