Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has described the suspension of the proposed fee hike for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examination (NECO) as a victory for the Nigerian people.

“I received the welcome news of the suspension of the newly introduced examination fees with relief. This is a victory for the Nigerian people,” Mr Obi said in a statement on Monday.

The Federal Ministry of Information, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Boriowo Folasade, earlier announced the suspension, citing concerns and feedback from Nigerians.

The statement said the government would “engage extensively” with examination bodies, state ministries of education, school proprietors and administrators, parents’ associations, organised labour, education stakeholders, and other critical partners to ensure that any future decision is fair, sustainable, transparent, and responsive to prevailing realities, while safeguarding access to education.

Mr Obi commended the authorities for listening to the widespread public outcry and suspending the policy.

“The fee was an unnecessary burden that should never have been introduced at this time of great hardship, when we should be doing everything possible to invest in basic education and reduce the millions of out-of-school children in Nigeria,” he said.

The NDC chieftain noted that access to education should be expanded, not restricted, at a time when many families are struggling to make ends meet.

“Education is a fundamental right and a public good, not a source of government revenue,” he said.

According to the politician, imposing multiple fees at the basic education level risks denying many children their right to education. 

“At that stage, the state has a duty to invest in educating and preparing its citizens for productive lives, not to erect financial barriers that keep them out of school,” he added.

Mr Obi also called for the reconsideration of several anti-people policies of President Bola Tinubu’s government, adding that “leadership is demonstrated not only by making decisions but also by having the humility to reverse policies that impose unnecessary hardship on the people”.