Why Nigerian students should not pay for WAEC, NECO fees – Aisha Yesufu
Activist Calls for Elimination of WAEC, NECO Fees for Nigerian Students
Aisha Yesufu, a prominent activist and politician, has urged Nigerian students to cease payments for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) fees, asserting that quality education is a fundamental right for all students in Nigeria.
Yesufu’s comments come in response to the recent approval by the Federal Government to increase WAEC and NECO fees for the Senior Secondary Certification Examination (SSCE) to ₦50,000 per candidate, effective in 2027. This decision was communicated in a memo dated June 18, 2026, and signed by Adeniji Ibrahim, the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education.
In a post on X, Yesufu emphasized, “No student in Nigeria should be paying for WAEC and NECO. Good quality education should be a right Nigerian children enjoy.” She further argued that the benefits of primary and secondary education extend beyond individual students, stating, “The cost of an uneducated populace is too high for a state.”
The increase in examination fees has sparked dialogue around the accessibility of education in Nigeria, highlighting ongoing concerns about financial barriers faced by students seeking quality education.
