By Oscar Okhifo
Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has pledged that no Nigerian child would pay for any public examination if he is elected president in 2027, describing education as a fundamental right that should be fully funded by the government.
Sowore made the declaration on Monday in a post on his X account while reacting to the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the planned increase in registration fees for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The Federal Government halted the proposed fee hike following widespread criticism from parents, labour unions, civil society organisations, education stakeholders and opposition figures, barely 24 hours after announcing the policy.
Reacting to the reversal, Sowore argued that suspending the increase did not go far enough, insisting that examinations required for basic and secondary education should be free for all Nigerian children.
“No Nigerian child will pay for any exam in my government,” he wrote.
According to Sowore, successive administrations have increasingly transferred the cost of education to struggling families instead of fulfilling the government’s responsibility to provide affordable and accessible education.
He noted that millions of Nigerian households are already burdened by soaring food prices, rising transportation costs, persistent inflation and declining purchasing power, making examination fees and other education-related expenses increasingly difficult to afford.
Sowore maintained that education should never be treated as a commercial enterprise, arguing that sustained investment in the sector is essential to reducing poverty, unemployment and inequality.
He further stressed that no child should be prevented from completing basic or secondary education because of financial hardship, calling for increased government investment to expand access to free, quality education, strengthen human capital development and reduce the country’s growing number of out-of-school children.
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, also welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the proposed increase in WAEC and NECO registration fees, describing the policy reversal as “a victory for the Nigerian people.”
In a statement posted on his X account on Monday, Obi commended Nigerians whose public outcry prompted the government to reconsider the decision, saying responsive leadership requires listening to citizens when they raise legitimate concerns.
He, however, argued that the proposed increase should never have been considered in the first place, given the severe economic hardship facing millions of Nigerian families.
Obi urged the Federal Government to prioritise affordable and accessible education, insisting that no child should lose educational opportunities because of financial constraints.
The interventions by Sowore and Obi have intensified the national conversation on education funding, with stakeholders renewing calls for increased public investment in the sector instead of shifting the financial burden to parents.
As political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election, access to affordable, quality education is expected to remain a prominent issue in Nigeria’s political and public policy debates.