A DEEPENING education crisis is threatening the future of 63 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) studying at Western Delta University, Oghara, as they face exclusion from their semester examinations due to unpaid tuition fees.
The affected students, sponsored by the Home for the Needy Foundation, are unable to sit for their exams after the university moved to recover an outstanding debt of N116.3 million.
The Explainer gathered that the university authorities formally notified the foundation of the development, stressing that the financial burden had become unsustainable. A letter signed by the Acting Registrar, Elvis Ofotokun, read:
“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. Unfortunately, our records indicate that only N7.5 million has been paid since March 2024. The total outstanding amount for the 2024/2025 academic session now stands at N116,323,000.”
The letter further confirmed that the affected students would not be allowed to take their first-semester examinations unless full payment was made.
The Explainer noted that at least 60 of the affected students are in their fourth and fifth years, having spent years working towards completing their degrees. The sudden financial crisis now puts their future in jeopardy, with fears that many may be forced to drop out.
Coordinator of the Home for the Needy Foundation, Solomon Folorunsho, made an urgent appeal for financial assistance, warning that abandoning these students now would waste years of effort and sacrifice.
“I am appealing to kind-hearted Nigerians, whether in the country or abroad, as well as corporate organisations with educational foundations like the Tony Elumelu Foundation and TY Danjuma Foundation, to come to our aid. MTN, Glo, and other telecom giants, multinational and indigenous oil companies—please see these students as your brothers and sisters and contribute to their achieving a lifelong feat. We cannot do it alone,” Folorunsho pleaded.
He also highlighted that the education funding shortfall was just one of many challenges facing IDPs in the camp, where thousands rely on limited resources for food, healthcare, and daily survival.
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The Explainer gathered that this crisis underscores broader challenges facing displaced students in Nigeria, where access to higher education remains a major hurdle. While IDPs often receive support for basic education, the cost of tertiary education is a significant barrier, leaving many unable to complete their studies.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of June 2022, there were approximately 3.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria. This displacement is primarily due to over a decade of insurgency and conflict in the NorthEast, as well as farmer-herder conflicts and banditry in other parts of the country.
The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report has highlighted significant educational challenges for displaced youth. Globally, only 3% of displaced youth have access to higher education, compared to a global average of 37% for non-displaced youth.
Education advocates have long argued that IDPs need more structured funding mechanisms to prevent cases like this, where financial instability could force students to abandon their dreams.
