Fact-Check: Misleading – UNILESA Is Not Nigeria’s Most Expensive University
Claim: An online video shows a man making several claims during a campaign event—some true, some misleading, and some false. One of the claims is that the University of Ilesa (UNILESA) charges ₦1.5...
Claim: An online video shows a man making several claims during a campaign event—some true, some misleading, and some false. One of the claims is that the University of Ilesa (UNILESA) charges ₦1.5 million in tuition and is the most expensive university in Nigeria.
Verdict: Misleading
Full Text:
A video shared on X, posted by @IfedolapoOsun on the 10th of May, 2026, shows people gathering at a political ground. The comment attached to the post shows that the location is Ilesa South. The post reads “BREAKING: Ijesa South residents draw the battle line with Governor Ademola Adeleke, say they are ready to vote out the underperforming governor who dares the Ijesa people.”
We listened to the video to hear the content of his speech. He claimed, among other things, that the University of Ilesa (UNILESA) charges ₦1.5 million in school fees and is the most expensive university in Nigeria. He didn’t stop there; he went further, claiming that Governor Adeleke abandoned the Ilesa Water Project and that the Adeleke administration abandoned primary healthcare centres and sacked doctors.
Screenshot of the person speaking in the video
Osun State is one of the states in Nigeria which holds off-cycle governorship elections. This was occasioned by a court ruling in 2010, which proclaimed the rightful winner of the 2007 governorship election.
The online video has gathered reactions for and against from viewers who believe the statements made by the person cannot be true here and here.
As political activities intensify, misinformation is circulated across social media and political grounds, and this is what is happening in Osun State as the political parties intensify campaigns for the election to be held in August 2026. NDRFactCheck reviewed the veracity of the claim.
Verification
The first check was to identify the person in the video speaking. We conducted a Google reverse image search from the screenshot in the video. We found that the speaker is Engr Remi Omowaiye. He is the executive director of project implementation at the Federal Housing Authority. He was a former commissioner for works under Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State. According to his profile, he is defined as a Tinubist, an ICT consultant, and a highway engineering manager. He is also the head of the media and publicity committee for the APC candidate in the upcoming off-cycle Osun governorship election.
The website of the University of Ilesa has a breakdown of its school fees for all levels from the 100 to 300 level. The school, which was established by the Osun State Government after upgrading the former Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, into a university in 2022. The latest tuition fees for the 2025/2026 academic session show that for 100-level and direct-entry students (200-level), the minimum fee is #239,000 and the maximum fee is #1,559,000, returning to the 200-level student minimum fee of #126,000 and a maximum fee of #1,396,500, and for the 300-level, the minimum fee is #151,500 and the maximum fee is #856,500.
The most expensive universities in Nigeria are all private institutions, with Wigwe University currently topping the list. Annual tuition across these top-tier schools ranges from ₦2 million to over ₦12 million, depending on the institution and course of study. A list of the ten most universities in Nigeria does not include UNILESA. The list includes Nile University, Pan-Atlantic University, Babcock University, American University, Covenant University, Bowen University, Benson Igninedion University, and Lead City University.
Conclusion
The University of Ilesa is not the most expensive in Nigeria, as asserted by Engr Remi Omowaiye during the campaign rally. The statement is therefore misleading.
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