Nigeria’s House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to halt recent tuition fee increases across public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, warning that rising charges threaten higher education access.

Deliberating on a motion moved on Tuesday by lawmaker Ifeoluwa Ehindero, the parliament raised concerns over reported fee surges exceeding 100 per cent at several public tertiary institutions.

Mr Ehindero argued that sharp cost increases risk undermining federal student-loan initiatives—such as the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)—and violate constitutional provisions guaranteeing equal educational opportunities.

“Access to higher education should not become increasingly difficult for Nigerian students because of sudden and substantial increases in institutional charges,” Mr Ehindero told plenary. “While we recognise the financial pressures facing our institutions, there must be a careful balance between institutional sustainability and the ability of ordinary Nigerian families to afford education.”

Following debate on the motion, the House passed resolutions urging the Federal Government to increase direct funding subventions to public universities to reduce their reliance on student fees.

Lawmakers also directed the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to engage university managements to suspend planned fee hikes and undertake a comprehensive review of tuition structures.

House committees on university and higher technical education were mandated to investigate the scale and justification of recent fee increases and report back for further legislative action.