By: Ibraheem Fiyinfoluwa
Ayo should be a 500-level student of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, but unfortunately for her, when she resumes the current session, she will have to continue as a 400-level student. She has successfully deferred the just-concluded session. Deferring involves postponing resumption for a session or year and is done for various purposes which could range from work to personal circumstances, but Ayo [not her real name] and others like her did not defer due to work. In fact, she was in school throughout and even wrote exams for the session that has just been deferred. Albeit, she was forced to defer because she could not pay her school fees before the payment portal was closed.
School fee payment is one of the most pivotal activities that guarantees studentship at the University of Ibadan. Payment of fees for each session is bordered by rules and regulations set by the school management and is a requirement that students must necessarily follow to ensure continuity in their academic voyage. It seems to be a relatively smooth process for most, year in and year out, but in the just concluded 2023/2024 academic session, some students’ academic journeys have been hampered in these circumstances.
The Only Escape Route
The reality of the situation was pronounced when the current University of Ibadan Student Union (UISU) President Covenant Odedele, on March 21st, 2025, announced via his WhatsApp status that students who have not been able to make school fee payments should write a letter to the Dean of Student Affairs to officially suspend the session. This is an action that several students have had to carry out so as to minimise the damage that a missing session would have on their academic voyage.While most students spoken to have already set their minds on deferring before the WhatsApp post of the UI’SU President, they were, however, dismayed that after labouring for a whole session, they had no other choice than to let go of all their efforts.
Ayo, in her bid to see how she could salvage the semester and not see her efforts for the session go to waste, reached out to the UISU President, but the response she got did not allay her fears.“He said, Unfortunately, the portal is closed,” she said.
Ola [not his real name] also finds himself in similar waters as Ayo. Unlike his peers, who would be 500-level students, he has no choice but to “repeat” 400-level. He is deferring the session because he was unable to pay fees. He also tried to reach out to the UISU President through a friend in hopes of getting a favourable solution since he had already written exams, but he says he did not get a response. “My friend who is a close [friend] of his told him, and he ignored the text like it never existed,” he said. Ola has now successfully deferred the session.
A Knock-On Effect of Fee Increment?
A recurring theme that predisposed these students to this situation is school fee increment. The University of Ibadan, at the commencement of the just-concluded 2023/2024 session, made an increase in school fees, which were riding on increments made the session before that.
Ola believes that the fee increment played a huge part in not being able to pay his fees as at when due. He is one of three (3) siblings studying at the University of Ibadan. The increment inevitably added more financial pressure to his parents, and due to the circumstances, he decided not to pressure his parents to pay because he would be on his industrial training for the first semester.“Since I went out for the SIWES [Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme] programme and won’t be writing exams for the first semester. I decided not to pressure my dad until I am back,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the increment, I would not have waited till I got back because it would not be too hard for my parents to pay for the three of us at the same time.”
The problem was further compounded by the lack of awareness about the closure of the student portal. His decision to minimise pressuring his parents was also influenced by the thought that the school management would give room for late payment even considering the increment.“What made me actually consider waiting till I was back was because when I was in 300-level, students were still allowed to pay till the session was almost ending,” he added.
For Ayo, the increment in conjunction with the financial difficulties her parents were facing delayed her payment. “My parents were going through some financial difficulties, so I did not pressure them, and by the time they were able to get the money, they had already closed the portal,” she explained.
Consequences and Complications
Deferring a session in which one was actively involved comes with its own consequences. These are consequences that are glaring realities for students who have found themselves in this situation.Ayo wishes she could go back in time just to find a way to correct things because the impact on her mental health is simply overbearing. She just wishes she knew when the portal would close. “Well, it happened because I didn’t realise the portal was closed, so my department said there was nothing else they could do concerning it, and then the option was to defer,” she said.
Hearing this from her department broke a dam that she has not been able to build back. Deferring the just concluded session is a decision that would most probably haunt her for a while. “This decision has affected my mental health so much, and I find myself crying most of the time,” she said.
Ola’s decision to defer and the surrounding circumstances is one that brings tears to his eyes every single time he thinks about it. It’s a decision that is also affecting his family’s bond, as he is being blamed for all that has happened. “I cry every day I think about this. I can’t stay with my dad because I don’t want him feeling so sad that he literally caused my extra year,” he explained. He feels even more terrible about it because it had never happened to him before, and all he wanted to do was to ease the stress of paying the increased fees for three children on his father. “I felt like I was so lucky, but the school decided not to open the portal for late payment anymore,” he said. “ If the school had probably brought it to our notice that they’d be changing their protocol about paying the school fees late, then I’d have asked for it or looked for it somehow and paid.” Ola, Ayo, and several other University of Ibadan students will not be graduating with their peers, and this is not because they carried over a course or were rusticated. It is payment of fees that has put them in such a problematic situation.
