The Federal Government has approved a new uniform registration fee of N50,000 for candidates sitting the West African Examinations Council and National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examinations, effective from 2027, in a move that represents an 82 per cent jump from the current N27,500 charge. 

The approval was contained in a memo dated June 18, signed by Adeniji Ibrahim, Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, on behalf of the Minister of Education.

According to the memo, the increase followed a formal request from WAEC for an upward review of its examination fees, a request that had earlier been discussed at a meeting between the Minister of Education and examination bodies on March 31, 2026. At that meeting, the minister reportedly directed both WAEC and NECO to harmonise their charges and adopt a single uniform fee for the conduct of their SSCE examinations going forward.

The new fee will see NECO’s internal SSCE charge rise sharply from N30,000, while WAEC’s climbs from N27,000, with both bodies now aligned at N50,000 per candidate from the 2027 internal examinations.

The Director of Press and Public Relations at the ministry, Folasade Boriowo, confirmed the development, stating that she had personally verified the approval with the director in charge.

The announcement has already drawn strong pushback from student groups, with the National Association of Nigerian Students rejecting the reported hike outright. The association pointed out that candidates hoping to sit both WAEC and NECO would now face a combined cost of N100,000, excluding additional charges typically imposed by individual schools, a burden it described as unsustainable given the current economic strain on Nigerian families.

NANS also faulted the process behind the decision, alleging that the approval was reached without adequate consultation with relevant stakeholders, particularly students’ representative bodies.

The timing of the increase has added to public unease, arriving just as WAEC wrapped up this year’s Senior School Certificate Examination and while NECO’s own exam remains ongoing.

Critics have noted that in states like Lagos, where government currently foots the WAEC bill for candidates while parents cover NECO fees, the new uniform rate could significantly widen the financial gap facing families without such subsidies, raising fresh questions about equitable access to secondary education certification across the country.

Photo Credit: Nigerian eye