Former Labour Party presidential candidate and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Peter Obi, has described the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the proposed increase in registration fees for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examination (NECO SSCE) as a victory for the Nigerian people.
Obi made the remarks in a statement posted on his official X account on Monday, shortly after the Federal Ministry of Education announced the suspension of the planned fee adjustment.
He welcomed the government’s decision to reverse the proposal, saying it reflected the impact of public engagement and advocacy.
“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 wrote.
While commending the authorities for responding to widespread public concerns, he argued that the proposed increase should never have been introduced given the country’s prevailing economic realities.
According to him, imposing higher examination fees at a time when millions of Nigerian families are struggling financially would have placed an unnecessary burden on parents and further worsened the country’s education challenges.
“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 stated.
READ ALSO: FG Suspends Proposed WAEC, NECO Fees Hike After Public Outcry
Obi maintained that access to education should be expanded rather than restricted, stressing that education is a fundamental right and should not be treated as a revenue-generating venture.
“At a time when many families are struggling to make ends meet, access to education should be expanded, not restricted. Education is a fundamental right and a public good, not a source of government revenue,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor warned that introducing additional financial obligations at the basic education level could deny many children access to schooling, insisting that government has a responsibility to invest in education rather than create barriers.
“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,” he added.
Obi also urged the Federal Government to extend the same approach to other policies he described as burdensome to Nigerians.
“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.
He thanked citizens, parents and advocacy groups whose opposition to the proposed fee increase contributed to its suspension.
“I thank the citizens, parents, and advocacy groups whose voices made this reversal possible,” Obi concluded.
The Federal Government had earlier suspended the proposed increase in WAEC and NECO registration fees, saying the policy would undergo a comprehensive review and wider stakeholder consultations before any final decision is taken.