“Nigeria not a lab for reckless policies” – Atiku reacts to reversal of WAEC fee

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the proposed hike in WAEC and NECO registration fees, describing it as a victory for Nigerian parents, students, and civil society groups who pushed back against the policy.

In a statement issued on Monday, July 13, 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the reversal vindicates earlier warnings that the fee increase would deepen educational inequality and worsen the out-of-school children crisis.

“The suspension is welcome, but it also raises an uncomfortable question: why must this government always wait for public outrage before correcting policies that should never have been conceived in the first place,” Atiku said.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate criticised what he described as a pattern of announcing harsh policies with minimal consultation, only to retreat after public backlash.

“Governing is not a laboratory for reckless experimentation. Sound governments consult before they decide, not after Nigerians have been subjected to needless anxiety and uncertainty,” he added.

Atiku noted that the planned fee hike would have placed further financial pressure on families already struggling with inflation, high transportation costs, electricity tariffs, and declining purchasing power.

“Education should be the ladder out of poverty, not another luxury reserved for the privileged,” he said.

While commending parents, teachers, labour unions, students, and other stakeholders for their collective advocacy, Atiku urged the Tinubu administration to go beyond suspension and engage stakeholders on a sustainable funding model for WAEC and NECO that does not burden ordinary families.

He called on the government to shift from “trial and error” policymaking to evidence-based decisions rooted in consultation and empathy.

“A government that listens only after Nigerians cry out is a government that has stopped listening to the people it was elected to serve,” Atiku said.

He also explained the episode as a reminder ahead of the 2027 elections, which positions experienced leadership as an alternative to what he called governance by experimentation.