Falana Condemns School Fee Hike By Federal, Lagos Governments, Vows Legal Action
Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has criticised the Federal and Lagos State governments for the recent increases in school fees, calling the hikes unlawful and a violation of the Child’s Rights Law.
The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State government recently announced a significant increase in fees for state-owned boarding schools, raising the cost from N35,000 to N100,000. This follows a similar move by the Nigerian government in July 2023, which saw fees for Unity Schools increase from N45,000 to N100,000.
Falana slammed both governments for what he described as an infringement on the right to affordable education, stressing that the fee hikes are illegal under the provisions of the Child’s Rights Act and the Lagos State Child’s Rights Law.
“With the current minimum wage at N70,000, a worker’s salary over a four-month term amounts to N280,000. This means that a worker can no longer afford to support even one child in either a Unity School or any secondary school in Lagos State,” Falana said.
He further noted that under the Child’s Rights Law, every child is entitled to free and compulsory education from primary through junior secondary school, making the new fees for junior secondary students illegal.
Falana vowed to challenge the fee hikes in court to reverse the decision and protect the rights of students and families affected by the increase. “We will contest the illegal imposition of such prohibitive fees on junior secondary students in the appropriate High Court,” he affirmed.
He also pointed to a July 2024 revelation by Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), that over N45.7 billion in funds allocated for Universal Basic Education between 2020 and 2023 remains unused by several state governments.
