Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and convener of the Take It Back Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has pledged to provide free education for all Nigerians if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
Sowore made the promise on Monday in a post on his official X account while reacting to the controversy surrounding the proposed increase in the fees for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
The Federal Ministry of Education had announced plans to increase WAEC and NECO examination fees from ₦27,500 to ₦50,000 before suspending the proposal following widespread public criticism.
Reacting to the development, Sowore said his administration would abolish all public examination fees and make education free at every level.
He stated that no government under a Sowore administration would require students to pay for WAEC, NECO or any other public examination, insisting that education is a fundamental right rather than a privilege.
According to him, his proposed education policy would provide free, high-quality education from early childhood through university, supported by modern classrooms, virtual learning, improved welfare for teachers, student grants and equal opportunities for all Nigerian children.
Sowore described the proposal as a commitment to ensure that no child’s future is determined by poverty, arguing that access to education should not depend on a family’s financial capacity.
The Federal Government is yet to announce a new policy on examination fees following the suspension of the proposed increase.
