Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, has reacted to the 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.
The fee for each examination was increased to N50,000. WAEC candidates currently pay ₦27,000, while NECO candidates pay ₦30,000.
The increment drew criticism from students and opposition figures and the federal government decided to suspend the increment.
Reaching to the decision to scrap the fee hike, Peter Obi wrote on X: “Suspension of Examination Fees: A Victory for the People
“I received the welcome news of the suspension of the newly introduced examination fees with relief. This is a victory for the Nigerian people.
“While I commend the authorities for listening to the widespread public outcry and suspending the policy, 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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“I thank the citizens, parents, and advocacy groups whose voices made this reversal possible.”
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