Nigerian Think Tank Demands Cost Breakdown Before WAEC, NECO Fee Hike

Nigeria's independent higher education policy think tank, iRead To Live Initiative, has called on the Federal Ministry of Education to release the cost evidence behind its proposed increase in registration fees for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) before any final decision is made. The Ministry's circular dated June 18, 2026, had approved a uniform fee of N50,000 for both examinations, representing an 82% increase over WAEC's current N27,000 and a 67% increase over NECO's N30,000. This proposal was suspended on July 13 following public outcry, pending wider stakeholder consultations.

In a statement, the Executive Director of iRead To Live Initiative, Jacob Sule, emphasized that the suspension alone is insufficient. He urged that the upcoming stakeholder consultation must be grounded in transparent, published evidence, rather than merely appearing to follow due process. The group questioned why the cost analysis, including documentation from a March 31, 2026 meeting that reportedly informed the decision, was not released alongside the original circular.

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iRead To Live Initiative, Nigeria’s independent higher education policy think tank, urges the Federal Ministry of Education to release the operational cost evidence that informed its earlier proposal to increase WAEC and NECO registration fees before taking any final decision.

"iRead states that the suspension alone is insufficient, and urges that the anticipated stakeholder consultation must demonstrate transparent evidence rather than simply restore the appearance of due process," the statement read. The think tank argued that a fee increase affecting approximately 2.24 million Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates should not be announced first and justified afterward. Sule pointed out that WAEC's registration fee has already risen by about 94% between 2019 and 2025, from N13,950 to N27,000. The proposed N50,000 fee would represent a cumulative increase of 258% since 2019.

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iRead states that the suspension alone is insufficient, and urges that the anticipated stakeholder consultation must demonstrate transparent evidence rather than simply restore the appearance of due process.

The group also raised specific questions for the Ministry to answer publicly before consultations proceed. "If the N50,000 fee was grounded in documented operational cost evidence, why was that evidence not published alongside the June 18 circular? If the proposed increase was based on a cost analysis submitted by WAEC or NECO, why has that analysis not been released?" Sule asked. He stressed that such a significant policy decision impacting millions of candidates requires a publicly available evidence base prior to its announcement, not an "evidence hunt conducted after the announcement proves unpopular."

Sule further cited Nigeria's 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index, which revealed that 63% of Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, underscoring the potential burden of increased examination fees on families already struggling financially.

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A fee increase affecting 2.24 million UTME candidates is not an administrative adjustment. It is a policy decision that requires a publicly available evidence base before announcement, not an evidence hunt conducted after the announcement proves unpopular.