Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government over the reported approval of a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for candidates sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations from 2027.
Atiku warned that the proposed fee, alongside the recent increase in charges for Federal Unity Colleges, could deny millions of Nigerian children access to education.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president described the measures as economically insensitive and inconsistent with the government’s constitutional responsibility to make education accessible to every Nigerian child.
He argued that the Tinubu administration was imposing additional financial burdens on families already grappling with inflation, rising food prices, high transportation costs, increased electricity tariffs and widespread unemployment.
“It is unconscionable that at a time when Nigerian families are battling record inflation, soaring food prices, rising transportation costs, crippling electricity tariffs, stagnant incomes and widespread unemployment, the Tinubu administration has chosen to make education even more expensive,” Atiku said.
He maintained that education remains the most effective tool for breaking the cycle of poverty and warned that increasing the cost of schooling would deepen inequality.
“A government that genuinely believes in the future of its people does not erect financial barriers between children and education. It removes them. Education is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy; it is the birthright of every Nigerian child and the foundation upon which prosperous nations are built,” he said.
The ADC chieftain noted that the proposed examination fee and higher Unity School charges were particularly concerning because they come at a time when Nigeria is grappling with one of the world’s largest out-of-school children populations.
According to him, estimates place the number of children and young people out of school at between 10.5 million and 15 million.
“Nigeria already bears the painful distinction of having one of the largest populations of out-of-school children in the world. Any government confronted with such a national emergency should be investing aggressively to bring these children back into school. Instead, this administration is choosing policies that will inevitably swell those numbers,” he said.
Atiku warned that the higher examination fee would disproportionately affect children from low- and middle-income households, many of whose parents already struggle to meet basic living expenses alongside education costs.
He further argued that the proposed ₦50,000 fee for WAEC and NECO examinations would create an additional barrier to tertiary education for academically qualified but indigent students.
The former vice president also linked the issue to what he described as the inadequate admission capacity of Nigerian universities, noting that although more than two million candidates seek admission annually, public universities admit only between 500,000 and 700,000 students due to infrastructure constraints.
He questioned the government’s emphasis on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), arguing that student loans cannot address barriers preventing students from completing secondary education or sitting qualifying examinations.
According to him, meaningful education reform should focus on making education affordable at the basic and secondary levels, expanding university infrastructure and ensuring that poverty does not determine access to learning.
Atiku called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the increase in Unity School fees, shelve the proposed ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee, and convene a stakeholders’ dialogue on sustainable financing of public education.
He also urged the Federal Government to invest more in public schools, recruit additional teachers, expand the capacity of tertiary institutions and ensure that no Nigerian child is denied education because of financial hardship.
