The Vice-Chancellor of Owolabi University, Oke-Ila Orangun, Osun State, Professor Samuel Adedotun, has criticised what he described as the expectation of some parents to receive free university education for their children after paying high fees in private secondary schools.
Adedotun made the remarks while speaking with journalists at the university’s Osogbo campus on Friday, 23 October 2026. He argued that quality university education requires adequate funding and cannot be provided free of charge without affecting standards.
According to the vice-chancellor, some parents pay as much as ₦500,000 or more per term to educate their children in secondary schools but expect public universities to provide tertiary education at little or no cost.
He noted that such parents could spend more than ₦1.5 million annually on secondary school fees, particularly when they have multiple children enrolled in private schools, yet remain reluctant to contribute adequately to university education.
“The truth is that we don’t have enough universities,” Adedotun said, adding that the country’s existing public universities could not accommodate all candidates who obtained grades qualifying them for university admission.
He explained that the limited number of university places continued to prevent many qualified candidates from securing admission into their preferred institutions. He called for the establishment of more universities to expand access to higher education.
The vice-chancellor also argued that the cost of attending private universities should be considered a matter of choice, while acknowledging that the ability of parents to afford the fees remained a major concern.
Adedotun urged Nigerians to reconsider their approach to funding education, saying sustainable investment was necessary to improve the quality of teaching, learning facilities and academic programmes in tertiary institutions.
He disclosed that Owolabi University had secured accreditation from the National Universities Commission for 15 academic programmes across three faculties.
The Faculty of Allied Health Sciences offers Nursing, Physiotherapy, Public Health, Nutrition and Dietetics, and Medical Laboratory Science. The university also offers programmes under the Faculties of Science and Computing, and Management and Social Sciences.
Adedotun invited prospective students, parents and guardians to consider the institution’s available programmes and confirm admission requirements through its authorised channels.
His comments have renewed the debate over who should bear the cost of university education in Nigeria. While universities require adequate funding to maintain academic standards, rising education costs and household financial pressures continue to make affordability a major concern for many families.
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