Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the Federal Government over reports that it approved a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for candidates writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations from 2027, warning that the decision could prevent millions of children from accessing education.
He also criticised the recent hike in fees for Federal Unity Colleges, describing both policies as insensitive to the current economic realities and contrary to the government’s constitutional responsibility to ensure every Nigerian child has access to education.
In a statement released on Sunday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was placing additional financial pressure on households already grappling with inflation, soaring food prices, rising transport fares, 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.
According to him, education remains the strongest tool for lifting people out of poverty, stressing that making schooling more expensive would deepen inequality across the country.
“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 stated.
The ADC leader said the proposed examination fee and the increase in Unity School charges were especially concerning given Nigeria’s already high number of out-of-school children.
He noted that available estimates place the number of children and young people outside the classroom 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 argued that the higher examination fee would hit poor and middle-income families the hardest, many of whom are already struggling to balance household expenses with the cost of educating their children.
“The consequences of these policies extend far beyond school gates. Every child priced out of education today becomes tomorrow’s victim of unemployment, poverty, child labour, criminal exploitation, drug abuse or insecurity. Nations do not become prosperous by making education more expensive; they prosper by making education more accessible,” he added.
He further contended that the proposed ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee would create an additional obstacle for students from low-income backgrounds seeking admission into tertiary institutions.
“It is a systemic filter that will inevitably restrict access to tertiary education for thousands of indigent but academically qualified Nigerian students. For many children from low-income families, the journey to university does not end at the admission gate—it is terminated long before then by the inability to afford the qualifying examinations that determine their future,” he said.
The former Vice President also linked the issue to the limited admission capacity in Nigerian universities.
He observed that while more than two million candidates apply for tertiary admission each year, public universities admit only between 500,000 and 700,000 students due to inadequate infrastructure.
“Rather than addressing this structural deficit by expanding infrastructure and increasing admission capacity, the government is effectively constricting access even further through higher Unity School fees and the proposed ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee. The result is a cruel double punishment,” he said.
Atiku questioned the government’s reliance on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), insisting that student loans cannot offset policies that make it difficult for students to complete secondary education or pay for qualifying examinations.
“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. A government cannot credibly claim to be expanding access to higher education while simultaneously erecting financial barriers that prevent millions of young Nigerians from ever reaching the university gates,” he noted.
He maintained that genuine education reforms should prioritise affordable basic and secondary education, expand university infrastructure and ensure that financial hardship does not determine access to learning.
“No nation has ever taxed its way into educational excellence. Countries that aspire to economic greatness invest more—not less—in education during difficult times because they understand that human capital is the engine of sustainable development,” he stressed.
Atiku called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the increase in Unity School fees, abandon the proposed ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee, and convene a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss sustainable funding for public education.
He also urged the Federal Government to increase investment in public schools, recruit more teachers, expand the capacity of tertiary institutions and ensure that no child is denied education because of financial constraints.
The statement comes amid growing concerns over the rising cost of education following recent increases in school-related charges and the worsening cost-of-living crisis.
Although the Federal Government has introduced NELFUND to improve access to higher education, critics argue that affordability challenges begin much earlier at the secondary school level, where students must complete qualifying examinations before gaining admission into universities.
The proposed introduction of a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for WAEC and NECO candidates from 2027 has continued to generate widespread reactions, with stakeholders urging the relevant authorities to provide further clarification on the policy.
