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By Oscar Okhifo
No fewer than 5,000 students of the University of Benin risk being barred from writing the second-semester examinations scheduled to commence today for failing to pay their school charges.
In a memo signed by the Registrar of the institution, Mr. Ademola Bobola, the university announced the strict enforcement of its “no payment of school charges, no examination” policy, insisting that repeated reminders to defaulters had been ignored.
“The university management is in receipt of the list of students who have failed to pay their school charges despite repeated reminders.
These students have also failed to subscribe to the students’ loans being provided by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND),” Bobola said.
The registrar explained that all efforts to encourage the affected students to either pay their fees or access the NELFUND facility had yielded no positive response.
“With the second-semester examination set to begin on Monday, Sept. 29, these students shall be barred from writing the examination if they fail to pay their school charges or subscribe to the students’ loan by NELFUND,” he stated.
Bobola disclosed that the Senate had directed provosts, deans, directors, and heads of departments to publish the list of all defaulters by 8 a.m. on Monday.
The measure, according to him, is to enable affected students to confirm their status and make last-minute payments before the examinations commence.
He added that an enforcement task force headed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) had been set up to monitor and ensure strict compliance with the directive.
“Management expects full cooperation and compliance by all stakeholders to maintain the university’s high standards,” he said.
In a similar move, the Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, had in April 2025 enforced a “no school fees, no exam” policy. Its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, cautioned students against diverting money meant for their fees to gambling and other frivolous activities, warning that such actions could jeopardize their academic progress.