Redeemer’s University in Ede, Osun State, defended a recent tuition fee increase, saying rising operational costs and the need to match new federal salary levels for staff were the main drivers. The statement was made by Vice‑Chancellor Prof. Shadrach Akindele at a press briefing ahead of the university’s 18th convocation.
“Virtually every university has adjusted its fees for the current academic session. Even federal institutions that do not charge tuition have raised other fees. The simple reason is that current economic conditions have significantly increased our operational costs,” said Akindele.
He added that the federal government’s new salary structure, effective January, would make it difficult for private universities to retain qualified staff unless they could offer comparable remuneration. “If a private university fails to match this new pay scale, it risks losing its best hands to a massive staff exodus,” he warned. Akindele noted that private institutions receive no government subventions, Tertiary Education Trust Fund grants or special intervention funds, leaving them largely dependent on student fees.
The convocation, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will award degrees to 1,903 regular students and 127 affiliates. Of the regular students, 200 earned first‑class honours, 937 obtained second‑class upper degrees, 629 achieved second‑class lower, 126 received third‑class degrees and 11 graduated with pass degrees. The postgraduate school will graduate 368 regular students and 73 affiliates.
In other achievements, Akindele highlighted that the university’s Institute of Genomics and Global Health secured a Mastercard Foundation grant to train scholars across Africa through short courses, master’s and doctoral programmes. He also praised accounting students who qualified as chartered accountants before completing their degree programmes: eight students passed the May 2026 Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) examinations, five of whom will graduate at this convocation, while three remain undergraduates, one of whom qualified while still in 200 level.
Akindele thanked the host community and the Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal, and announced full university scholarships for six Ede indigenes, continuing a tradition that has lasted more than a decade.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
