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…Atiku Blasts FG Over New WAEC, NECO, Unity College Fees
Stakeholders in the education sector have condemned the upward review of the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) fee payable by secondary school candidates to West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) effective next year from N27,000 to N50,000 as ill-advised and capable of denying many indigent students access to education.
Recall that the Federal Government through the Minister of Education, Dr.Tunji Alausa, directed WAEC and NECO to adopt a common fee for the conduct of their senior secondary school examinations.
The development has drawn questions over its affordability amid rising living costs and the current N70,000 national minimum wage.
Reacting to the development, Dr. Olufemi Mosaku-Johnson, the National Administrator, Association of Corporate Governance Professionals of Nigeria, urged the Federal Government to reverse the increase without delay.
The association raised concerns that the hike would worsen the economic hardship being faced by millions of Nigerian families and deny indigent students access to education.
Dr. Mosaku-Johnson said the prevailing economic realities have left many Nigerians struggling to survive, with a large percentage of the population living from hand to mouth.
He argued that asking parents to shoulder higher examination cost at a time of rising inflation and declining purchasing power would place an unbearable burden on households.
While acknowledging that WAEC and NECO now operate as self-funding examination bodies and require additional resources to combat examination malpractice through biometric verification, CCTV surveillance and other technological measures, Dr. Mosaku-Johnson maintained that the fee increase would prevent many brilliant but indigent students from sitting for their final secondary school examinations.
To cushion the impact on families, the association called on the federal and state governments to fund WAEC and NECO registration fees for all senior secondary school III students in public schools.
He also urged the government to increase funding for education, noting that Section 18 of the 1999 constitution recognises education as a fundamental responsibility of government, stressing that Nigeria’s education budget remains below UNESCO’s recommended benchmark of 15 to 20 percent. Dr. Mosaku-Johnson warned that making public examinations unaffordable could lead to higher school dropout rates, increased examination malpractice and lower national productivity in the future.
He further appealed to the government to subsidise vulnerable citizens, ensure greater accountability by examination bodies and consider monthly welfare support of between N50,000 and N70,000 for unemployed youths, elderly persons and other jobless adults, saying that despite Nigeria’s abundant oil, gold and other mineral resources, many citizens had yet to enjoy meaningful economic benefits. He also urged well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the government to reverse the examination fee increase.
Comrade (Dr.) Felix Oluwaseun Agbesanwa, Ogun State Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), and National Public Relations Officer of ASUSS Nigeria, warned that the move could worsen the economic hardship facing millions of Nigerian families and deny many students access to education.
Agbesanwa said the proposed increase, estimated at over 80 percent, comes at a time when Nigerians are contending with soaring inflation, rising transportation fares, high food prices and declining purchasing power.
According to him, the additional financial burden will be difficult for many parents and guardians to bear, particularly those with more than one child preparing for the examinations.
He warned that the development could increase the number of students who may be unable to register for the examinations, leading to higher school dropout rates and widening educational inequality.
He stressed that education remains a critical tool for reducing poverty and should not become the exclusive preserve of children from wealthy homes.
“There is a genuine fear that this policy may inadvertently increase the number of school dropouts and examination defaulters, particularly among students from low-income families. Education remains one of the most effective tools for breaking the cycle of poverty. Any policy that places additional financial barriers before students deserves careful reconsideration,” Agbesanwa stated.
While acknowledging the financial challenges confronting examination bodies, Agbesanwa maintained that any review of examination fees should be accompanied by intervention measures to protect indigent students.
He called on the Federal Government to introduce subsidies, expand scholarship opportunities and work with state governments and other stakeholders to cushion the impact of the proposed increase.
The ASUSS leader also urged the government to explain the reasons behind the proposed fee review and outline how the additional revenue would improve the quality and efficiency of examination services.
He further appealed to the authorities to consult teachers’ unions, parents’ associations, school proprietors and civil society organisations before implementing the policy.
He emphasised that investment in education remains vital to Nigeria’s development, urging the government to adopt policies that promote access to education rather than create additional barriers for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Mr Agbo Majekodunmi, the proprietor of preparatory class for SSCE students based in Sango, Ogun State, feared many indigent students will be completely locked out of the school system. “I recall what my church members went through to raise funds in support of indigent male and female students whose parents could not afford fee for NECO and WAEC.
“The new fee regime at this period negates the recent policy that abolishes the 6-3-3-4 system for unhindered secondary school education. What is the problem with Nigeria. One policy forward, two backwards.” He added, “The new fee should be stepped down at this period of economic hardship. Even many state governments are still indebted to WAEC. The impact would be devastating for the country.”
The spokesperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Benson Upah, described the fee increase as excessive and inconsistent with the economic realities facing Nigerian workers, warning that many families may struggle to afford the new cost.
Upah said the 82 percent review was “stiff, sudden, unreasonable” and did not reflect the financial realities of low-income workers whose children and wards make up a significant proportion of candidates sitting for WAEC and NECO examinations.
According to him, the majority of students who participate in the examinations come from families that are already battling the impact of inflation and declining purchasing power.
“The 82 percent review is stiff, sudden, unreasonable and inconsistent with the material realities of low-income workers whose children and wards constitute 80 percent of WAEC/NECO- writing student population,” Upah said.
Also reacting, human rights lawyer, Femi Aborisade, faulted the increase, arguing that the decision contradicts constitutional provisions on access to education.
Aborisade said the approval violated Section 18(3)(b) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, which provides for free education at the secondary school level.
He argued that WAEC and NECO terminal examinations should be regarded as part of the free education framework guaranteed by the constitution, describing the increase as unacceptable.
“The Federal Government’s approval of an 82 percent increase in WAEC and NECO examination fees is a violation of Section 18(3)(b) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, which guarantees free education at secondary school level,” he said.
The lawyer called on the government to reverse the decision, insisting that examination fees should be removed rather than increased, particularly in the face of worsening economic conditions.
Similarly, the National Treasurer of the Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Alhaji Nasiru Bello, described the approved increase as shocking and unaffordable for many Nigerian families.
Mr. Bello questioned the practicality of the new fee structure in an economy where many households are facing financial difficulties despite the recent increase in the national minimum wage.
“The news of the Federal Government’s approval of 82 percent increase in WAEC and NECO examination fees to N50,000 is shocking,” he said.
He noted that the challenge goes beyond the minimum wage, stressing that many Nigerians remain unemployed while a large number of employed workers earn incomes that are barely enough to meet their basic needs. “Considering the current economic hardships and the N70,000 minimum wage, I don’t think the newly approved examination fees are affordable for the average Nigerian family,” Bello said. Comrade Isah Abubakar of the Northern Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN) condemned the decision of the Federal Government to hike the examination fees, stressing that it’ll lead to high secondary school dropouts.
Abubakar told Daily Independent that parents were finding it difficult to pay the exam fee when it was about N10,000 and wondered why the decision when the government should be promoting education, pointing out that education shouldn’t be seen as a revenue-generating sector.
“There’s going to be a lot of secondary school dropouts. And the fight against illiteracy we’re talking about is going to be a mirage.
Because where a student cannot pay for an exam fee, what is expected of him is to drop out.
And we don’t even have technical schools any longer that are well equipped that can absorb the SS3 student.
“We have a very wrong educational system where students are not empowered. So tell me what we’re going to face with this current policy.
So it’s something that is of great concern. And parents must react, stakeholders must react. Academic staff unions of polytechnics, universities, colleges of education must add their voice and advise the government that his plan is not going to help the country.”
Atiku Blasts FG Over New WAEC, NECO, Unity College Fees Similarly, former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the Federal Government over the recent increase in fees for Federal Unity Colleges and the reported approval of a uniform N50,000 examination fee for WAEC and NECO candidates from 2027, describing the policy as harsh, economically insensitive and a direct threat to access to education.
Atiku, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the Tinubu administration was steadily placing quality education beyond the reach of millions of Nigerian families already burdened by soaring inflation, high food prices, rising transport costs, increased electricity tariffs, unemployment and declining purchasing power.
According to the former vice president, education remains the most effective tool for breaking the cycle of poverty and promoting national development, warning that every additional financial burden placed on parents translates into more children being denied the opportunity to acquire an education.
“A government committed to the future of its people removes barriers to education rather than creating them. Education is not a privilege for the wealthy but a fundamental right of every Nigerian child,” he said.
Atiku noted that the policy comes at a time when Nigeria is already grappling with one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children globally, arguing that government should be investing heavily in getting more children into classrooms instead of introducing measures that could further worsen the crisis.
He warned that the increase in Unity School fees and the proposed examination charges would disproportionately affect children from low- and middle-income families, many of whom are already struggling to meet basic living expenses.
“The consequences go beyond the classroom. Every child denied education today faces a greater risk of unemployment, poverty, child labour, criminal exploitation, drug abuse and insecurity tomorrow,” he stated.
The ADC presidential candidate further argued that the proposed examination fee would deny thousands of academically qualified but indigent students the opportunity to pursue higher education, stressing that many students would be unable to afford the qualifying examinations required for university admission.
The former vice president therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately reverse the increase in Unity School fees and suspend the proposed N50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee.
He also urged the Federal Government to convene an urgent stakeholders’ meeting on sustainable funding for public education, invest more in schools, expand educational infrastructure, recruit qualified teachers and increase the admission capacity of tertiary institutions.
