Human rights activist and influencer, Aisha Yesufu, has faulted the decision of the Federal Government to hike the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) fees, insisting they ought to be free.
She made this known late on Sunday night via a now-trending post shared on her official X (formerly Twitter) page.
Her remarks follow the decision of the Nigerian government to approve the proposed sum of ₦50,000 for WAEC and NECO fees.
The approval was contained in a new memo dated 18 June 2026 and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the ministry.
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This fee increase is expected to take effect from the 2027 academic session and represents an 82% hike from the current fee of ₦27,500.
Reacting to the development, Aisha Yesufu argued that good and quality education should be the right of all Nigerian students.
The activist-turned-politician added that the price of having an “uneducated populace” is highly consequential “for a State.”
Taking to her verified handle, she wrote: “No student in Nigeria should be paying for WAEC and NECO. Good quality education should be a right Nigerian children enjoy.
“Primary and secondary education is more beneficial to the state than the people. The cost of an uneducated populace is too high for a State.”