The recent reversal of the increment of the registration fees for West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior Schools Certificate Examinations was a positive response of the federal government to the outcry of Nigerians. The announcement of the hike from 27,000 naira to 50,000 naira (82 per cent increase) per candidate caused spontaneous outrage among Nigerians, particularly parents who are already overburdened with a very high cost of living. Therefore, the subsequent withdrawal of the decision came as a huge relief for the millions of parents who lack the financial capability to bear the new cost. There was a valid fear that, had the hike been maintained, a lot of the qualified students would not have been able to register for the examinations. Unarguably, the sudden announcement of the hike indicated that no adequate engagement of critical stakeholders was done before a final decision was taken. Although in a letter dated June 28, 2026 signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Adeniji Ibrahim, it is stated that the hike followed a meeting of the Minister of Education with the officials of the examination bodies during which “the need for upward review of examination fees was discussed”, many other facts have shown that only limited consultation was done. The exclusion of, for example, Parents-Teachers Association, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools from the meeting made it impossible for all such stakeholders to make contributions that might enable the government to take a better decision. But the issue is clearly not yet over as the government, in a statement on the reversal issued by the Federal Ministry of Education, revealed its intention to re-introduce the process of the review which would be more inclusive. This is a clear expression of resolve to effect the increment after a possible modification of the process. On this note, we wish to caution the government on the grave implications of an arbitrary hike of the examinations fees for the country. The outcry by the students and their parents, education administrators, schools proprietors and a lot of concerned groups over the last attempt have shown the high degree of opposition to the idea. It is, therefore, Daily Trust’s opinion that, rather than insist on the hike of the fees, the government should find means and ways to further reduce the cost of education for Nigerians. There is the absolute need to go beyond the suspension of the increment of examinations fees and come up with measures that will enable parents to satisfy the educational and other needs of their children. It is unfortunate that the attempt to effect an upward review of the examinations fees has further weakened the hope of most Nigerians for the introduction of relief measures by the Tinubu administration. The government’s insensitivity to the plight of the citizens as well as its contempt for their views even on matters that directly affect them have now become more pronounced. More often than not, government handles matters of utmost public concern with the kind of attitudes that suggest recklessness and/or incompetence. The errors that are being committed in the course of policy design and implementation are a pointer to either low commitment to the provision of credible governance or incompetence or even both. In fact, the crises in the various sectors of the national economy, which have now resulted in the numerous hardships and uncertainties that have become the major features of the living conditions of the citizens, are direct products of low quality governance. Hasty decisions that are usually bereft of sound inputs from experts and stakeholders have continued to make the delivery of dividends of democracy more a mirage than a reality. In order to regain public confidence, the present government under Tinubu needs to be a lot more focused and committed to the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities. Both the hollowness of some of its policies and the disturbing inconsistency that regularly characterizes its approach to issues are a morale dampener. This newspaper believes that Nigeria is both genuinely deserving and desperately desirous of much better handling by its leaders. The style of governance by which decisions are not adequately weighed, as evident in the controversial increment of WAEC and NECO examinations fees, should be discarded.
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