Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Federal Government over the recent increase in fees for Federal Unity Colleges and the reported approval of a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for WAEC and NECO candidates from 2027.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the 2023 presidential candidate described the policy as “cruel, economically insensitive and fundamentally incompatible” with government’s constitutional responsibility to make education accessible.
Atiku argued that the increase comes at a time when Nigerians are grappling with inflation, high food prices, rising transport costs, electricity tariffs and widespread unemployment.
“Education remains the greatest instrument of social mobility and the surest pathway out of poverty. Every additional financial burden imposed on parents translates into another child being denied the opportunity to learn,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria already has between 10.5 million and 15 million out-of-school children, warning that increasing Unity School fees and examination charges would further worsen the crisis.
“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,” he added.
The former vice president also criticised the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, saying it offers little benefit to children who cannot afford secondary education or 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,” Atiku said.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately reverse the increase in Unity School fees and the proposed ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee, while calling for an urgent stakeholders’ dialogue on sustainable funding for public education.
Atiku further pledged that an ADC-led government would reverse policies that make education unaffordable and expand access to quality education across all levels.
