Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reacted to the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the proposed increase in West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination, registration fees.
Atiku, in a statement by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, on Monday, July 13, said that Nigeria is not a laboratory for “reckless policy”.
“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,” he stated.
Recall that the federal government had approved a new examination fee of ₦50,000 for candidates sitting the West African Examinations Council and National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examinations.
WAEC candidates currently pay ₦27,000, while NECO candidates pay ₦30,000.
The increment drew criticism from students and opposition figures, including from Atiku Abubakar who warned that it would deepen Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis.
“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 initially said when the increment was announced and called on President Tinubu to reverse it.