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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the suspension of the proposed increase in West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) fees by the federal government as a victory for Nigerians.
Atiku, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the suspension of the fee hike was a vindication of his concerns about the policy.
The Federal Government, last weekend, approved a uniform fee of N50,000 for SSCE candidates beginning next year. Prior to the increase, fees for NECO and WAEC were reportedly N30,000 and N27,000, respectively.
However, the policy was greeted with criticism. Atiku, who is also the African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate, described the fee hike as “cruel and insensitive,” noting that it would impose additional financial burdens on parents. In a reversal, the federal government on Monday announced the suspension of the policy.
The former Vice President, while reacting to the suspension of the fee hike, stated that although the decision is welcome, it raises questions about why the government had to wait for public outrage before correcting “policies that should never have been conceived in the first place?”
According to him, “governing is not a laboratory for reckless experimentation. Sound governments consult before they decide, not after Nigerians have been subjected to needless anxiety and uncertainty.
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“It is becoming a disturbing pattern. This administration announces harsh policies with little evidence of meaningful consultation, only to retreat when confronted by overwhelming public opposition. That is not responsive governance; it reflects poor policy formulation.
“The purpose of leadership is to anticipate the consequences of public policy before it is implemented. A government that repeatedly relies on public resistance to discover its mistakes is admitting, whether intentionally or not, that it is disconnected from the daily realities of its citizens.
“The proposed examination fee hike would have erected yet another financial barrier before millions of Nigerian children whose families are already crushed by inflation, rising transportation costs, soaring electricity tariffs, and declining purchasing power.”
Furthermore, he stated that “suspending this policy should not be the end of the conversation. The federal government must now engage stakeholders to develop a sustainable funding model for WAEC and NECO that strengthens these examination bodies without transferring the burden to struggling families.
“More importantly, this administration must abandon its growing habit of announcing anti-people policies first and listening later. Consultation is not a sign of weakness; it is the foundation of responsible governance.”
