Group demands cost breakdown before WAEC, NECO fee hike

The Read To Live Initiative, an independent think tank, has urged the Federal Ministry of Education to disclose the cost evidence behind the proposed hike in WAEC and NECO registration fees before finalizing the decision. Currently, the circular approved on June 18, 2026, has set a uniform fee of N50,000 for both examinations, which is an 82% increase on WAEC’s current fee of N27,000 and a 67% increase on NECO’s N30,000 fee.

However, the proposal was temporarily suspended on July 13 due to public backlash, and the Ministry is now seeking wider stakeholder consultations.

In a statement, Jacob Sule, Executive Director of Read To Live Initiative, stated that the suspension alone is not sufficient. He emphasized that the upcoming consultation must be based on transparent, published evidence, rather than just appearing to have due process. The think tank questioned why the cost analysis behind the proposed N50,000 fee, including documentation from a meeting held on March 31, 2026, was not released alongside the initial circular.

According to their analysis, WAEC’s registration fee increased by approximately 94% between 2019 and 2025, from N13,950 to the current N27,000. The proposed N50,000 fee would result in a 258% increase since 2019.

Sule questioned why the evidence supporting the proposed increase was not published alongside the June 18 circular. He also mentioned that if the proposed N50,000 fee was based on a cost analysis submitted by WAEC or NECO, that analysis should have been released. The proposed fee increase, which would affect 2.24 million UTME candidates, is not just an administrative adjustment but a significant policy decision that requires a publicly available evidence base before it is announced.

Sule cited the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index, which found that 63% of Nigerians are multidimensionally poor. He pointed out that examination registration fees have been repeatedly revised upward across multiple administrations without any published cost justification for public scrutiny.