Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has denounced Federal Unity Colleges’ fee increases and the reported approval of a uniform examination fee of ₦50,000 for candidates from the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) starting in 2027.
According to Atiku, the increases are harsh, economically insensitive, and at odds with the Federal Government’s duty to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to school.
The former vice president claimed in a statement released on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, that families already facing unemployment, stagnant incomes, rising food and transportation costs, electricity tariffs, and inflation were being further burdened by the federal government.
He cautioned that the actions might make more kids drop out of school and exacerbate Nigeria’s already dire educational situation.
“A government that truly cares about its citizens’ future does not put up financial obstacles in the way of children’s education. Atiku stated, “It eliminates them.
“Education is a birthright of every Nigerian child and the cornerstone upon which prosperous nations are built; it is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy.”
Given that Nigeria already has one of the highest rates of out-of-school children in the world, Atiku said the policy was especially concerning.
He maintained that instead of enacting laws that could result in more students being excluded, a government confronting such a problem need to make significant investments in getting kids back into the classroom.
He stated, “Nigeria already has one of the biggest populations of out-of-school children in the world, which is a painful distinction.”
“Between 10.5 million and roughly 15 million Nigerian children and young people are already out of school, depending on the methodology and age group measured.”
Children from low-income and middle-class households, whose parents were already having difficulty meeting their basic necessities, would be disproportionately affected by the fee increases, according to Atiku.
Every additional expense placed on education, in his opinion, could deprive another child of the chance to learn and better their future.
The ADC presidential candidate cautioned that restricting access to education would have repercussions beyond of institutions.
According to him, children who are denied an education may be more susceptible to insecurity, drug abuse, child labor, poverty, unemployment, and criminal exploitation.
According to Atiku, “every child who is priced out of school today becomes a victim of unemployment, poverty, child labor, criminal exploitation, drug abuse, or insecurity tomorrow.”
“Nations become prosperous by making education more accessible, not by raising the cost of education.”
He said that the planned ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO fee will be a hindrance to the advancement of academically capable but impoverished pupils to higher education.
He claims that a lot of pupils from low-income families might not be able to compete for admission to universities because their families could not afford the required tests.
Additionally, Atiku criticized what he called insufficient funding for Nigeria’s postsecondary institutions.
He said that public institutions did not have enough lecture rooms, labs, dorms, libraries, and other facilities to handle the volume of applicants each year.
Despite over two million applicants, the former vice president asserted that Nigerian colleges could only accept between 500,000 and 700,000 students annually.
He maintained that children from low-income families were being punished twice by the combination of fewer university spots and higher test costs.
“The outcome is a cruel double punishment: first, there are not enough spots for millions of qualified young Nigerians to be admitted; second, many will now be priced out of even competing for those limited spaces,” Atiku stated.
“That is not educational reform; rather, it is the methodical denial of opportunities and the progressive exclusion of impoverished children from the prospects of higher education.”
Atiku also questioned the Federal Government’s portrayal of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as a significant accomplishment given the rising expense of earning secondary education credentials.
He claimed that a youngster who had already been denied admission to secondary school or who was unable to pay the WAEC and NECO fees would not benefit from a university loan.
“A child who has already been priced out of secondary education or cannot afford the qualifying exam required to secure admission finds little solace in a university loan,” he stated.
“A government cannot legitimately claim to be increasing access to higher education while at the same time creating financial obstacles that keep millions of young Nigerians from ever entering a university.”
Genuine education reform, according to Atiku, should start with increased capacity in postsecondary institutions, better infrastructure, and affordability at the basic and secondary levels.
He went on to say that the government should make sure that no child’s poverty kept them from going to school.
He declared, “A government that genuinely values education invests in classrooms before it invests in loans.”
Atiku requested that President Bola Tinubu immediately undo the proposed ₦50,000 exam fee and the increases in Federal Unity College fees.
In order to create sustainable ways of funding public education, he also encouraged the Federal Government to call an urgent meeting with education stakeholders.
The former vice president advocated for more funding for schools, hiring qualified educators, upgrading educational facilities, and increasing tertiary institutions’ admissions capacity.
He claimed that policies that rendered education unaffordable will be reversed by an ADC-led government, restoring education as a public good.
