Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the proposed ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee and the recent increase in Federal Unity College fees, warning that the policy could worsen Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the planned fee hike as harsh and insensitive, especially at a time many Nigerians are struggling with rising living costs.
According to him, increasing the cost of education would place additional pressure on families already battling inflation, high food prices, transport costs, electricity tariffs and unemployment.
“Any government confronted with such a national emergency should be investing aggressively to bring these children back into school. Instead, this administration is choosing policies that will inevitably swell those numbers,” Atiku said.
The former vice president argued that education remains one of the most effective ways to fight poverty and warned that making it more expensive would deny many children the opportunity to build a better future.
He noted that Nigeria already has one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, estimated at between 10.5 million and 15 million, and said higher school and examination fees could make the situation worse.
Atiku also criticised the Federal Government’s reliance on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), arguing that student loans cannot help children who are unable to complete secondary school or pay for qualifying examinations.
“A government cannot credibly claim to be expanding access to higher education while simultaneously erecting financial barriers that prevent millions of young Nigerians from ever reaching the university gates,” he stated.
He urged President Tinubu to immediately reverse the proposed fee increases and convene a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss sustainable funding for public education.
Atiku also pledged that an ADC-led government would prioritise affordable education by expanding access to schools, increasing the capacity of tertiary institutions and ensuring that financial hardship does not prevent children from receiving quality education.
Source: Statement by Atiku Abubakar’s media office.
