Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, has defended the recent 120% increase in tuition fees at Gombe State University (GSU), stating that the increment is necessary for the institution’s development.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of governing councils for higher institutions, state-owned companies, and pilgrimage boards at the Government House in Gombe, Yahaya said that the hike was aimed at improving education standards.

He urged parents and guardians to support the university, comparing fees with those in neighbouring states like Borno, Adamawa, and Bauchi states, insisting that GSU plays a crucial role in complementing federal education efforts, stressing that tertiary education is expensive and requires investment.

He said, “We emphasise more basic education and secondary school education. Look at Gombe State University as supporting what the Federal Government is doing because the responsibility of the state and local governments is to give education, healthcare, and social welfare at the basics.

“Tertiary education is very expensive; thank God we have private universities. We shouldn’t consider any investment in education to be a waste. Let’s see how to join hands with federal, state, and local governments to ensure our people get education from basic through secondary and up to the tertiary level.”

The governor explained that the fee hike was partly necessitated by demands from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other unions for improved funding. He noted that the increased allocation to GSU still falls short of what is needed and encouraged the university to explore additional revenue streams to maintain its standards.

Yahaya also encouraged students, especially those from low-income backgrounds, to take advantage of the federal government’s student loan programme, which he described as a “win-win” solution to ensure access to education.

“I have heard the complaints of students about the recent increase in school fees, but it didn’t stop the Academic Staff Union of Universities and other unions from going on strike because it wanted more funding to GSU, and for that, we had to double the allocation,” he said. “As of today, none of the universities within the Northeast subregion has as much as what we are giving to Gombe State University.

“There are other windows; that doesn’t mean the university should not look within and see how much it can raise to keep the standard so that our standards can be the best in order to compete with whoever. We must do the needful; nothing was done to stop anybody from getting tertiary education.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, under President Bola Tinubu, has introduced the students’ loan; it’s a win-win; if you apply and pay the university, the school can develop. So, see how to access the loan and get any support from anywhere.

“The Federal Government, despite being the owner of all tertiary institutions except private and state-owned universities, could not help; even today what the Federal University of Kashere charges is by far what Gombe State University is charging, and the federal government is the main source.”

On behalf of the newly inaugurated boards, Rep. Aishatu Jibrin, chairperson of the College of Legal Studies Nafada, pledged commitment to advancing the institutions’ goals.