Federal Government has withdrawn its proposed increase of examination registration fees for West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) candidates.
FG withdrew the June 18 memo that had announced the new N50,000 rate and triggered a wave of public criticism.
The Federal Ministry of Education announced the withdrawal on Monday in a statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
Folasade disclosed the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment had been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations before any final decision is taken.
"The Federal Ministry of Education announced that the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated 18 June 2026, has been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders before a final decision is taken," the statement read.
Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa directed that the proposal be placed on hold in line with what the ministry described as the Federal Government's commitment to inclusive, transparent and evidence-based policymaking.
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The ministry acknowledged the issues that had driven the review proposal in the first place, citing rising costs of logistics, security, printing, technology deployment and quality assurance as factors behind the push for an upward review of fees that had remained largely unchanged for several years.
It said consultations would now be held with examination bodies, state education ministries, school proprietors, parents' associations, organised labour and other stakeholders before any decision is reached.
The suspended increase would have raised the WAEC registration fee from N27,500 to N50,000, an 82 per cent hike, with a uniform rate also applied to NECO.
Families whose children sat both examinations would have paid a combined N100,000.
The announcement drew immediate pushback from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who described the hike as cruel and called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse it.
The ministry said the proposed fee review would not take effect until the consultation process was concluded, and pledged to keep the public informed at every stage.
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