‘Nigeria Not a Lab for Reckless Policies” – Atiku Reacts to Reversal of WAEC, NECO Fee

• Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has welcomed the suspension of the proposed WAEC and NECO fee hike, questioning why the Federal Government only reversed the policy after widespread public outrage.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the proposed increase in WAEC and NECO registration fees, describing the move as a victory for Nigerian parents, students and civil society groups who opposed the policy.

In a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the government’s reversal validated earlier concerns that the proposed fee hike would worsen educational inequality and increase the number of out-of-school children.

“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,” Atiku said.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate criticised what he described as a pattern of introducing harsh policies without adequate consultation, only to reverse them after widespread public backlash.

“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,” he added.

According to Atiku, the proposed fee increase would have placed additional financial pressure on families already struggling with inflation, rising transportation costs, electricity tariffs and declining purchasing power.

“Education should be the ladder out of poverty, not another luxury reserved for the privileged,” he stated.

He commended parents, teachers, labour unions, students and other stakeholders for speaking against the proposed increase and urged the Federal Government to engage relevant stakeholders in developing a sustainable funding model for WAEC and NECO examinations.

Atiku also called on the Tinubu administration to abandon what he described as “trial and error” policymaking in favour of decisions based on consultation, evidence and empathy.

“A government that listens only after Nigerians cry out is a government that has stopped listening to the people it was elected to serve,” he said.