Atiku, Obi Welcome Decision

THE Federal Government has suspended the proposed review of registration fees for next year’s West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC) Examination and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination, pending wider consultations with stakeholders.

    The Federal Ministry of Education, in a statement on Monday, July 13, said the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated June 18, had been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review before any final decision is taken.

    In the statement, signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the ministry said the suspension followed concerns and feedback from the public, explaining that the fee review was driven by rising costs associated with conducting national examinations, as registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years, despite increasing operational expenses.

    The ministry cited higher costs of logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment, quality assurance and other services required to maintain the credibility of public examinations, saying the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, had directed that the proposal be put on hold, in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive and evidence-based policy-making.

    It stated that the decision reflected its commitment to ensuring that policies affecting students and their families were carefully considered and responsive to public interest, noting that consultations would be held with examination bodies, state ministries of Education, school proprietors and administrators, parents’ associations, organised labour, education stakeholders and other critical partners before any decision is reached.

    Accordingly, the ministry said the proposed review of examination registration fees would not take effect as earlier communicated until the consultation process is concluded.

    The ministry stressed that students’ welfare, equitable access to quality education and responsible policy-making remained central to the Federal Government’s education agenda, pledging to keep the public informed throughout the consultation and due process.

    In his reaction, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, welcomed the development, but added that “governing is not a laboratory for reckless experimentation.”

    The former vice president, in a statement by his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, said Nigeria was not a laboratory for ‘reckless policy,’ adding that the decision has vindicated the concerns he raised when he warned that pricing public examinations beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians would deepen educational inequality, worsen the out-of-school children crisis and deny countless brilliant, but indigent students, the opportunity to pursue higher education.

    He stated: “The suspension is welcome, but it also raises an uncomfortable question: Why must this government always wait for public outrage before correcting policies that should never have been conceived in the first place?

    “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.

    “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.”

    On his part, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, applauded the decision, describing the move as a triumph for ordinary Nigerians.

    Recall that under the arrangement announced by the Federal Government on Monday, explained that the review was due to rising operational costs.

    Obi, in a statement posted on his X handle, said the reversal was a welcome relief for many families facing economic difficulties across the country, adding that the suspension reflects the power of public engagement and demonstrates that government policies can be reconsidered when citizens raise legitimate concerns, noting: “I received the welcome news of the suspension of the newly introduced examination fees with relief. This is a victory for the Nigerian people,” Obi stated.

   The former governor argued that the proposed increase should not have been contemplated in the first place given the prevailing economic realities.

    “While I commend the authorities for listening to the widespread public outcry and suspending the policy, it must be said that the fee was an unnecessary burden that should never have been introduced at this time of great hardship, when we should be doing everything possible to invest in basic education and reduce the millions of out-of-school children in Nigeria,” he said.

    He maintained that access to education should be broadened rather than limited, especially at a time when many households are struggling to meet basic needs.

“At a time when many families are struggling to make ends meet, access to education should be expanded, not restricted,” he said.

    The former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate stressinghat education should be treated as a social investment rather than a revenue-generating venture.

      “Education is a fundamental right and a public good, not a source of government revenue,” he stated, warning: 2that imposing additional financial obligations on students and their families could discourage enrolment and undermine efforts to tackle Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis.

    “Imposing multiple fees at the basic education level risks denying many children their right to education. At that stage, the State has a duty to invest in educating and preparing its citizens for productive lives, not to erect financial barriers that keep them out of school,” Obi added.

    The former governor also used the opportunity to urge authorities to review other policies that have increased the burden on citizens, saying leadership involves not only making decisions but also being willing to reverse them when they prove harmful.

    “True leadership is demonstrated not only by making decisions but also by having the humility to reverse policies that impose unnecessary hardship on the people. Many other anti-people policies deserve similar reconsideration,” he said.

    Obi concluded by commending parents, civil society organisations, advocacy groups and other Nigerians whose opposition to the proposed fee increase contributed to the government’s decision.

   “I thank the citizens, parents and advocacy groups whose voices made this reversal possible,” he said.