By joshua Call for the Immediate Withdrawal of the Proposed Increase in NECO Examination Registration Fee
The International Human Rights Commission – Relief Fund Trust (IHRC-RFT), Nigeria Chapter, expresses deep concern over the reported approval to increase the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) registration fee to ₦50,000 from 2027.
This proposed increase comes at a time when security experts continue to identify lack of access to education, poverty, and youth exclusion as key factors contributing to insecurity, violent extremism, and criminality. Rather than making education more accessible, such a policy risks pushing thousands of children, particularly those from low-income families, out of school because many parents simply cannot afford the new fee.
Education is not merely a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) affirms that everyone has the right to education, while Section 18 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) places a responsibility on the government to direct its policy toward ensuring equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.
We respectfully submit that implementing this increase at a time of widespread economic hardship could undermine public confidence in the government’s commitment to improving access to education. It may also generate avoidable public dissatisfaction among millions of Nigerian families, with potential political consequences as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
We therefore call on the Federal Government, the Honourable Minister of Education, and all well-meaning supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to urgently review and withdraw the proposed increase. Instead, government should pursue policies that expand educational access, protect vulnerable families, and invest in Nigeria’s human capital as a sustainable strategy for national security and development.
Education remains one of the most effective tools for combating insecurity and building a peaceful, prosperous, and united Nigeria.
Signed:
Amb. Abdullahi Bakoji Adamu
Country Director
International Human Rights Commission – Relief Fund Trust (IHRC-RFT), Nigeria Chapter