Mariam Adebukola 
Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has dabbled into the ongoing controversies and reactions trailing the increment of the tuition fees of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
New Telegraph had earlier reported that the management of UNILAG had increased the institution tuition fees for undergraduate students from N19, 000 to over N 190,000.
In a statement released by the UNILAG section of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SANU) on July 20, 2023, following a meeting with senior management said the institution’s students used to pay N19,000, but the management has set new tuition at N190,250 for students studying medicine, and N140,250 for courses requiring lab and studio work.
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Reacting to the increment, Omokri opined that despite the changes in fees, Nigeria’s education still remains cheap when compared to other countries.
He insisted that the country is not as terrible as the citizenry makes it out to be.
He urged those who were not satisfied with the changes to opt for illiteracy.
He wrote via Twitter, “Please fact-check me. Average tuition fees at Nigerian public universities = ₦50,000 or $65.
“Average tuition fees at Ghanaian public universities = GHS17,145 or $1503.
“Average tuition fees at British public universities = £9,250 or $11,900.
“Average tuition fees at European public universities = €10,000 or $11,128.
“Average tuition fees at American public universities = $10,400.
“Yet, you are here saying ‘Nigeria is finished’, ‘Nigeria is useless’ because of an increase of tuition fees from ₦19,000 to ₦190,250 at one university?
“Ghana has a minimum wage of GHS446 or $40 per month. Yet, Ghanaians pay twenty-five times what we pay in tuition. Do Ghanaians earn twenty-five times what Nigerians earn in minimum wage? Is fuel cheaper in Ghana than in Nigeria?
“I was in Ghana two months ago. Believe me when I say that you would fare better economically in Nigeria than in Ghana. Is Nigeria as wealthy as the UK, the US, and the EU? Nigeria is not such a bad country. If you think the cost of education is too high, then try the cost of illiteracy!”
Dear Chimaobi, Thank you for your feedback. Saudi Arabia has an annual oil and gas revenue of $336 billion to a population of 36 million people. Nigeria has a yearly oil and gas revenue of $30 billion to a population of 220 million. You do the math.
There is nothing “fellow”… pic.twitter.com/n4pzInZMc4
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) July 22, 2023
