OAU students union advises suspension of new N15,000 portal fee

Obafemi Awolowo University students have been told by the Great Ife Students’ Union to stop paying the N15,000 e‑portal access charge for now. The union said the fee should be suspended pending further clarification on the fee.

The advisory was issued on Monday in a statement signed by President Olalekan Kujembola, Secretary‑General AbdulRoheem Arogundade and Public Relations Officer Isaac Oluwagbami, according to PUNCH. The union acknowledged the portal’s role in fee payment, course registration and other academic processes, but warned that the extra charge could add financial pressure on students. It urged students to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified reports and wait for further official communication.

The university’s Division of Student Affairs responded that the charge is not new but an increase from a previous N6,000 amount. Dean Prof. J. A. Odedire explained that the rise to N15,000 is meant to fund a more secure data‑storage environment for the portal and a separate payment gateway, which he said will improve protection against data compromise. He assured that the administration is mindful of poorer students and will not create conditions that block their education.

The union’s statement stressed that any financial arrangement attached to access must consider affordability and collective student interests. It called on students to exercise patience and rely on official union updates while the matter is clarified.

Until the union receives further clarification, it advises students to refrain from making the N15,000 payment.