Atiku Abubakar has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the proposed increase in registration fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), but criticised the administration’s approach to policymaking.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the suspension as a positive development but questioned why the government often waits for public backlash before reversing policies.
According to the former vice president, governance should not be treated as “a laboratory for reckless experimentation,” arguing that major policy decisions should be preceded by adequate consultation rather than being reviewed only after widespread opposition.
He said the recurring pattern of announcing policies without sufficient stakeholder engagement and later reversing them following public criticism reflects poor policy formulation rather than responsive governance.
Atiku maintained that effective leadership requires anticipating the impact of government decisions before they are implemented, adding that a government that repeatedly depends on public resistance to identify policy flaws risks appearing disconnected from the realities facing ordinary citizens.
The ADC presidential candidate further argued that the proposed examination fee increase would have placed an additional financial burden on millions of Nigerian families already grappling with inflation, rising transportation costs, higher electricity tariffs and declining purchasing power.
The Federal Government had earlier approved a new registration fee of ₦50,000 for candidates sitting the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examinations, up from the current ₦27,000 for WAEC and ₦30,000 for NECO.
The proposal attracted widespread criticism from students, parents and opposition figures before the government announced its suspension.
Atiku had earlier opposed the planned increase, warning that it could worsen Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis by creating additional financial barriers for students seeking access to education. He also called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to reverse the policy.