Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised reports that the Federal Government has approved an increase in the registration fees for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) to ₦50,000 per candidate from 2027.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the proposed fee hike as an additional financial burden on Nigerian families, warning that it could deny millions of children access to education.
He argued that the planned increase, coupled with the recent rise in fees for Federal Unity Colleges, would place further strain on parents already grappling with economic hardship.
According to the former vice president, Nigeria already has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, and increasing examination fees could worsen the situation by making it more difficult for students, particularly those from low-income households, to complete their secondary education.
Atiku called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the proposed increase in WAEC and NECO examination fees and review tuition charges in government-owned schools.
He also urged the Federal Government to increase investment in the education sector by expanding educational infrastructure, improving access to quality learning, and implementing policies that ensure poverty does not prevent any Nigerian child from receiving an education.
The former vice president maintained that access to affordable education remains critical to national development and called for measures that would ease, rather than increase, the financial burden on Nigerian families.
