A Kano State High Court has issued an interim order restraining the management of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN) from demanding ₦750,000 as a compulsory convocation and graduation fee from final-year students before releasing their statements of result, certificates, or mobilising them for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
Justice Sanusi Ado Ma’aji, in a ruling on an ex parte application, directed the private university to immediately issue the affected students with their statements of result and to mobilise them for NYSC “as soon as the NYSC portal is opened.”
The suit was brought by parents of the graduating students through their counsel, Barrister Sagir Sulaiman Gezawa.
Gezawa argued that the students had fully satisfied all academic and financial obligations contained in their original admission letters, including payment of tuition fees, attendance at lectures, completion of required courses, and passing of examinations.
He contended that imposing an additional ₦750,000 convocation fee as a condition for graduation or NYSC mobilisation amounted to an unlawful barrier and a breach of the contractual terms under which the students were admitted.
The court fixed January 13, 2026, for the hearing of the substantive motion on notice.
The development has been welcomed by the affected students and their parents, many of whom described the ₦750,000 fee as “exorbitant and exploitative,” especially given the current economic hardship in the country.
MAAUN is yet to issue an official response to the court order as at the time of this report.