The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to increase fees in Federal Unity Colleges and approve a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for candidates sitting the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examinations from 2027.
The former Vice President described the policy as insensitive and unfair to millions of Nigerian families already struggling with rising living costs.
The new examination fee replaces the previous registration charge of ₦27,500. The approval was conveyed in a memo dated June 18, 2026, signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the Minister of Education.
Reacting through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the decision would place an even heavier burden on parents already battling inflation, high food prices, transportation costs, electricity tariffs, unemployment and stagnant incomes.
“A government that genuinely believes in the future of its people does not erect financial barriers between children and education. It removes them,” Atiku said.
He added, “Education is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy; it is the birthright of every Nigerian child and the foundation upon which prosperous nations are built.”
The former Vice President also warned that the increase could worsen Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, noting that millions of school-age children are already outside the classroom.
“Nigeria already bears the painful distinction of having one of the largest populations of out-of-school children in the world.
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“Depending on the methodology and age group measured, between 10.5 million and about 15 million Nigerian children and young people are already outside the classroom,” he said.
According to him, a government faced with such a challenge should be making education more affordable rather than introducing policies that could discourage enrolment.
“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.
He argued that the new examination fee would become “a systemic filter that will inevitably restrict access to tertiary education for thousands of indigent but academically qualified Nigerian students.”
“For many children from low-income families, the journey to university does not end at the admission gate; it is terminated long before then by the inability to afford the qualifying examinations that determine their future,” he added.
Atiku further maintained that countries seeking long-term economic growth prioritise education, particularly during difficult economic periods.
“No nation has ever taxed its way into educational excellence. Countries that aspire to economic greatness invest more, not less, in education during difficult times because they understand that human capital is the engine of sustainable development.
“Nigeria cannot build a globally competitive economy while systematically pricing millions of its children out of classrooms,” he said.