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The Vice-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Prof Shadrach Akindele, has attributed the recent increase in tuition fees to prevailing economic realities and the university’s commitment to maintaining high standards of education.
Speaking to journalists during a press briefing on Monday to mark the university’s 18th convocation, Prof Akindele explained that higher institutions must align with the federal government’s new minimum wage structure to retain qualified academic and non-academic staff.
“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.
“Furthermore, the federal government approved a new salary structure for university staff starting in January. If a private university fails to match this new pay scale, it risks losing its best hands to a massive staff exodus. To retain our workforce, we must match federal remuneration levels,” Prof Akindele said.
He added that private institutions do not receive government subventions, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) grants, or special intervention funds, saying, “We rely almost entirely on student fees to meet our payroll and running costs. Raising fees was necessary to avoid compromising the quality of our services. We aim to maintain and continuously improve the standards we offer.”
Highlighting details of the upcoming convocation scheduled for Thursday and Friday, the Vice-Chancellor announced that 1,903 regular students and 127 affiliates will receive Bachelor’s degrees across various disciplines.
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A breakdown of the results shows that 200 students earned First Class Honours, 937 achieved Second Class Upper, 629 graduated with Second Class Lower, 126 made Third Class, and 11 passed with a Pass degree. Additionally, the university’s postgraduate school will graduate 368 regular students and 73 affiliates.
Outlining recent achievements, Prof Akindele disclosed that the university’s Institute of Genomics and Global Health recently secured a grant from the Mastercard Foundation to train scholars across Africa through short courses, MSc and PhD programmes in genomics. He noted that Redeemer’s University is the sole institution in Nigeria selected for the mandate.
He also commended the academic excellence of accounting undergraduates, noting that several became Chartered Accountants before completing their degree programmes.
“In the May 2026 Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) examinations, eight of our students qualified as Chartered Accountants. Five of them are graduating at this convocation, while three remain undergraduates – including one student who qualified while still in 200 level,” Prof Akindele said.
He expressed gratitude to the host community and the traditional ruler, the Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal, and announced full university scholarships for six Ede indigenes, in continuation of a tradition maintained for over a decade.
