The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government over the proposed approval of a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations from 2027.
The former vice president warned that the policy could deny millions of Nigerian children access to education, describing it as an additional financial burden on families already struggling with the country’s economic challenges.
He also condemned the recent increase in fees charged by Federal Unity Colleges, arguing that the decisions were economically insensitive and contrary to the government’s responsibility to make education accessible to every Nigerian child.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the President Bola Tinubu-led administration was placing more pressure on households already battling inflation, rising food prices, transportation costs, electricity tariff hikes and 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.
“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,” he stated.
He further argued that education remains one of the most effective tools for reducing poverty and promoting national development, warning that policies which increase the cost of schooling could deepen inequality and leave more children without access to quality education.