Tinubu Urged to Cancel ₦4,000 WAEC/NECO Verification Fee

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to stop the proposed ₦4,000 one-off result verification fee introduced by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions.

The call follows concerns that the new verification charge could place an additional financial burden on students and their families at a time when the cost of education and living continues to rise.

WAEC, NECO Introduce ₦4,000 Verification Fee

According to the statement referenced in the report, WAEC and NECO introduced a one-off ₦4,000 verification charge for students whose O’Level results are required for admission purposes.

WAEC Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, reportedly said the arrangement was designed to ensure that candidates who successfully verify their WASSCE O’Level results through the Verification Service platform would not have to repeat the verification process.

The policy is intended to simplify the verification process and improve the integrity and security of academic records.

Critics Question the Additional Cost to Students

Critics of the policy argue that students should not bear the cost of verifying results issued by examination bodies themselves.

The report points out that 1,959,668 candidates sat for the May/June 2026 WASSCE. At ₦4,000 per candidate, the potential value of the verification charges would amount to approximately ₦7.84 billion if every candidate required the service.

The argument is that such a charge could further increase the financial pressure on families already struggling with school fees, transportation, food, healthcare and other living expenses.

Call for Tinubu to Stop the Verification Charge

The report calls on President Tinubu to intervene and prevent the proposed verification fee from becoming another financial barrier to tertiary education.

It argues that examination bodies should primarily facilitate access to education and safeguard the integrity of academic records rather than continually introducing additional charges for students.

JAMB Cited as an Example

The report also points to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as an example of how improved financial management can potentially reduce costs for candidates while maintaining institutional sustainability.

It references the tenure of former JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, during which the UTME registration fee was reduced from ₦5,000 to ₦3,500, while the board continued to record substantial remittances to the Federal Government.

The report argues that WAEC and NECO should consider similar approaches to financial management instead of transferring additional operational costs directly to students.

Government Urged to Fund Examination Fees

Beyond cancelling the verification fee, the report calls for a broader government policy to support examination costs for Nigerian students.

It suggests that the Federal Government and state governments should work towards covering WAEC and NECO examination fees for Nigerian children, citing Ghana and Sierra Leone as examples of countries where governments provide significant support for school certificate examination costs.

The report also calls for the restoration and expansion of scholarships and bursaries for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

States Urged to Clear NECO Debt

The report further urges state governments to settle outstanding debts owed to NECO, arguing that governments should adequately fund the examination bodies responsible for certifying Nigerian students.

It also calls on the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to encourage indebted states to clear their obligations to NECO.

Why the ₦4,000 Fee Is Being Questioned

While result verification serves legitimate purposes, critics are demanding greater transparency regarding the actual cost of the technology and infrastructure involved.

Some of the questions raised include:

• What is the actual cost of verifying each candidate’s result?
• Why should students pay an additional fee to verify results issued by examination bodies?
• Is the ₦4,000 charge necessary and proportionate?
• Why should technology-related operational costs be transferred directly to students?
• Can government funding or institutional financing cover the cost instead?

Education Should Remain Accessible

The report argues that Nigeria’s education system already faces significant challenges, including poverty, insecurity, inadequate funding and a large out-of-school population.

Introducing additional charges, it argues, could make tertiary education even less accessible to students from low-income households.

The central argument is that education should be treated as a national investment rather than a source of additional financial pressure on students and families.

The call for the cancellation of the ₦4,000 WAEC/NECO verification fee has opened a wider debate about the financing of education and examination services in Nigeria.

While result verification is important for protecting the integrity of academic records and simplifying the admission process, critics maintain that the financial burden should not fall entirely on students.

The Federal Government is therefore being urged to review the policy, provide greater transparency on the cost of verification and explore alternative funding arrangements that will protect students from additional financial pressure.