University Bars IDP Students from Writing Exams Over N116.3m Debt

The administration of Western Delta University, located in Oghara, Delta State, has prohibited students from the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Edo State from participating in the semester examinations due to outstanding tuition fees.

In a letter signed by the Registrar, E.O. Ofotokun, dated February 5, 2025, and provided to the media on Thursday, the university stated that the camp had an unpaid debt of N116.323 million, having made only a N7.5 million payment since March of the previous year.

The institution emphasized that the outstanding fees were affecting its operations, as it depended on prompt tuition payments.

According to the letter, the university management opted to take decisive measures to recover the unpaid amount.

The letter stated, “We write to follow up on our previous correspondence regarding the outstanding debt incurred by your organisation for sponsored students in Western Delta University, Oghara.”

It continued, “As you may recall, your team visited our institution twice to discuss payment modalities and we were assured of regular payments to settle the indebtedness.”

“Unfortunately, our records indicate that only N7,500,000 has been paid since March last year.”

“The total outstanding amount for the 2024/2025 academic session now stands at N116,323,000.”

Due to this unpaid balance, the university administration declared that all sponsored students would not be allowed to take their first semester examinations until the debt was fully paid.

The letter further stated, “Consequently, all your sponsored students will not be permitted to sit for the upcoming first semester examinations until this debt is settled.”

“We advise you to provide a comprehensive payment schedule to ensure the significant reduction of this indebtedness. We expect a prompt response regarding this matter,” the letter read.

Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, the Overseer/Director of the International Christian Centre for Missions and Christian Home for the Needy, which manages the camp, made an appeal to compassionate Nigerians for assistance.

In a statement, Folorunsho said, “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, kindly go through this letter. It is one of the emergencies that have come on our children from several schools.”

“This is just one among many and we have over 60 students in this school in 400 and 500 levels. We need a miracle. Kindly help in any way – by reaching out to the school, relevant agencies, government and others.”