By Ahmed Akanbi
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Federal Government’s proposed N50,000 uniform fee for WAEC and NECO examinations from 2027, describing it as “unconscionable” and a direct attack on poor Nigerian families.
Atiku, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, said the policy, combined with the recent hike in Federal Unity College fees, would shut more children out of school at a time of crushing inflation.
In a statement on Sunday by his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President said the timing of the proposed fee could not be worse.
”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 argued that education is the surest path out of poverty, and governments should be removing barriers, not erecting new ones.
”A government that genuinely believes in the future of its people does not erect financial barriers between children and education. Education is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy; it is the birthright of every Nigerian child,” he stated.
Atiku noted that Nigeria already has between 10.5 million and 15 million out-of-school children, one of the largest populations globally, warning that a N50,000 exam fee will hit low- and middle-income households hardest.
”The consequences extend far beyond the classroom. Every child priced out of education today becomes tomorrow’s victim of unemployment, poverty, child labour, criminal exploitation, drug abuse or insecurity,” he said.
The ADC flagbearer also faulted the government’s reliance on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, saying loans are useless to students who cannot even afford to sit for WAEC and NECO.
”A university loan offers little comfort to a child who has already been priced out of secondary education or cannot afford the qualifying examination required to secure admission,” he noted.
He further pointed out that with over two million candidates seeking university admission yearly, public universities only admit between 500,000 and 700,000 due to infrastructure deficits. Raising exam costs, he said, will only narrow the funnel further.
Atiku called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately reverse the Unity School fee increase, suspend the proposed N50,000 WAEC/NECO fee, and convene a stakeholders’ meeting to design a sustainable funding model for public education.
He urged the government to instead increase investment in public schools, recruit more teachers, and expand tertiary infrastructure to ensure no Nigerian child is denied education because of cost.
The Federal Government is yet to officially announce the N50,000 uniform exam fee, but the proposal has already sparked widespread criticism from education stakeholders and parents’ groups.