While many final-year students look forward to sign-out celebrations and the excitement surrounding Final Year Brethren (FYB), for some students, graduation season comes with a different reality: financial survival and the pressure to belong.
For Sofiat Olalekan, a final-year student of Linguistics and Languages, balancing academic responsibilities with multiple side jobs has become exhausting. Doing two shifts before attending classes has made exhaustion a familiar part of her routine. Still, she says she has little choice but to keep going.
With limited financial support from home, she says she independently caters for her rent, feeding, and other basic needs alongside school expenses.
“Doing side jobs and going to school at the same time is not easy for me. My parents are not financially stable, so apart from school expenses, I independently take care of my rent, feeding, and other basic needs.” she said.
With the growing culture surrounding Final Year Brethren (FYB) celebrations on campus, students like Sophiat now find themselves navigating not only academic pressure, but also the financial expectations attached to graduating.
Originally borrowed from religious fellowship registers, the term “FYB” has evolved into a popular campus culture associated with sign-out activities, dinners, matching outfits, souvenirs, and social celebrations among final-year students.
Growth of FYB on campus FYB celebrations did not begin as large, highly organised social events many students know today. At their core, they emerged from a simple desire among final year students to mark the end of a long academic journey. For many undergraduates, graduation represents not only academic success, but also survival through financial struggles, academic pressure, and personal growth.
In many Nigerian campuses, informal sign-out activities were initially modest. Students gathered with friends, signed shirts, took photographs, shared meals, and celebrated their final days on campus in simple ways. Over time, however, these gatherings evolved into more structured social traditions. The idea of “Final Year Brethren" gradually became associated with organised events, matching outfits, dinners, media publicity, souvenirs, and coordinated celebrations managed by student groups or departmental associations.
Theme of Celebration and Belonging
For many final-year students, participation in FYB activities is more than just dancing in fine attire; it is a public affirmation of survival, resilience, friendship, and shared experience.
Final Year Brethren (FYB) is a widely celebrated tradition in Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, marking the end of a student’s academic journey. This week gives students the opportunity to appreciate the late nights, hard work, sacrifices, and the persistence that brought them to the finish line.
From jersey day to cultural day, back-to-school day to sign-out shirt day, also costume day and the Owanbe party. Each themed dressing carries its own excitement and meaning among finalists. Beyond the fashion and social media pictures, the celebration has become a moment of connection, memory-making, and togetherness for many students.
For some finalists, not participating in moments like this feels almost impossible because of the emotional attachment and sense of belonging attached to the celebration. Fathia Olamide, a 400-level student of English and Literary Studies at Ekiti State University, expressed her anticipation for the week when speaking with the reporter. “I’m looking forward to it because it’s a chance to connect, make memories, and celebrate how far we’ve all come together. The sense of belonging is part of what makes it special for finalists,” she said.
Similar views were reflected in responses gathered through a survey conducted by the reporter. One respondent described FYB week as
“the last week one will be spending time with friends and coursemates,” highlighting the emotional significance many students attach to the celebration.
Resistance, Pressure, and Financial Burden
Beyond the excitement of FYB, a quiet concern runs beneath it — the financial strain it places on students. For some students, the celebration comes with a burden that shapes how they can take part in it. Roqeebah Shittu, a 500-level Medical and Laboratory Sciences student, told the reporter how sixty thousand (#60,000) FYB fee became a heavy weight on her shoulders. “FYB is a lifetime memory we will love to treasure for a long period of time. But for us to treasure the moments, we don’t have to discomfort ourselves. We don’t have to break the bank so as to do it. The organizers do not have to add to our financial troubles by making us pay a huge sum of money all because of FYB.”
Findings from the survey conducted among 30 final-year students reveal the extent of this concern. Only 36.7 per cent of respondents said they had paid the required FYB fee. But not without the fear of not collecting their exam permit. A respondent said in the survey answer box that, “ there are a lot of things before me which I wanted to use the money for but based on if you don't pay it, you won't get your course reg. stamp, that was why I paid for it.”
About 40 per cent of respondents described the fee as a financial burden, with another 40 per cent saying they felt pressured to participate despite their financial situations.
Beyond this lies the resistance of some students to FYB participation. Despite knowing the tradition and its essence, some described it as “not a priority owing to various bills they have to settle in their final year”. It was highlighted in a respondent's reply to the survey question. " I know that in my department, they will enforce it and use it for exams. Meanwhile I paid the school fee, why would they now be enforcing FYB money. I'm not interested in FYB, I just want to graduate.”
Balancing Celebration and Burden
Speaking with the reporter, the SUG President, Adio James Iyanuoluwa, acknowledged the pressure FYB fees place on final-year students. “Considering the economic situation of the country, the FYB fee has now become more of a burden to students than necessary. But due to peer pressure, students choose to celebrate despite the burden,” he said.
He, however, described FYB as a beautiful means of celebrating graduating students. “FYB, as a celebration, without excessively taxing students, is a beautiful way to celebrate the graduation of final-year students. It also aids socialization and boosts the public image of the university,” he added. While offering a solution, he stated that the current system has become too burdensome for students and recommends the upcoming cultural day event—Ojude FUOYE as an alternative. “At this point, I believe it is time for this burden to take its leave. Ojude FUOYE is a cheaper and more inclusive means of celebrating FYB. No student will be asked to provide ₦20,000–₦40,000 as FYB fees.”