Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to increase fees for Federal Unity Colleges and approve a uniform N50,000 registration fee for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) from 2027.
Describing the policy as “cruel and economically insensitive,” Atiku said the decision would further deny millions of Nigerian children access to education at a time families are already grappling with severe economic hardship.
The former Vice President made his position known in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
The Federal Government had recently approved an upward review of Senior School Certificate Examination fees from the current B27,500 to N50,000, following a meeting between the Minister of Education and examination bodies.
Reacting, Atiku argued that the increase contradicts the government’s constitutional responsibility to make education accessible to every Nigerian child.
“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,” he said.
According to Atiku, education remains the most effective pathway out of poverty and should never become a privilege reserved for wealthy families.
“A government that genuinely believes in the future of its people does not erect financial barriers between children and education. It removes them,” he stated.
The former Vice President warned that Nigeria, which already has one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, risks worsening the crisis if the new fees take effect.
He noted that between 10.5 million and 15 million Nigerian children are currently out of school, stressing that government policies should focus on bringing more children into classrooms rather than creating additional financial obstacles.
Atiku also argued that the increased examination fees would disproportionately affect students from low-income households, limiting their chances of gaining admission into tertiary institutions.
“The recent increase in WAEC and NECO examination fees represents far more than another financial burden on parents. It is a systemic filter that will inevitably restrict access to tertiary education for thousands of indigent but academically qualified Nigerian students,” he said.
He further questioned the government’s education priorities, arguing that while initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) exist, they have yet to address the structural challenges limiting access to education.
According to him, no nation achieves sustainable economic development by making education more expensive.
“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 said.
Atiku called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately reverse both the increase in Unity School fees and the proposed N50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee, while urging the Federal Government to convene stakeholders to develop sustainable funding for public education.
He also advocated increased investment in public schools, improved educational infrastructure, recruitment of more qualified teachers and expansion of tertiary institutions to ensure that poverty does not deny any Nigerian child access to education.
