By Emmanuel Thomas, Monday, July 13
ABUJA — Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has strongly criticized the Federal Government’s approach to policymaking, with regards to WAEC and NECO, describing it as a “disturbing pattern” of reckless experimentation and poor formulation.
Atiku’s reaction follows the recent decision by the Federal Government to suspend the proposed increment in the registration fees for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO). The reversal came on the heels of intense, widespread condemnation from various segments of the Nigerian public, who argued that the hike would further decimate access to basic education.
In a strongly-worded statement issued on Monday, the former Vice President welcomed the suspension, characterizing the development as a significant triumph for millions of Nigerian parents, students, civil society organizations, and patriotic citizens who refused to stay silent in the face of an oppressive policy.
According to Atiku, the administration’s sudden about-face vindicates the alarms he and other stakeholders raised when the policy was initially mooted.
He reiterated his earlier warnings that pricing vital public examinations out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians would inevitably worsen the nation’s already critical out-of-school children crisis, deepen educational inequality, and permanently block brilliant but indigent students from accessing tertiary education.
”This decision vindicates the concerns I expressed when I warned that pricing public examinations beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians would deepen educational inequality, worsen the out-of-school children crisis, and deny countless brilliant but indigent students the opportunity to pursue higher education,” Atiku stated.
Despite expressing relief over the suspension, the PDP chieftain questioned the operational template of the current administration, asking why the government consistently waits for widespread public outrage and anxiety before rescinding policies that should never have been conceptualized in the first place.
The former Vice President chided the administration’s top-down approach to governance, asserting that public policy should be driven by rigorous research and robust pre-implementation dialogue rather than reactionary damage control.
”Governing is not a laboratory for reckless experimentation,” Atiku declared. “Sound governments consult before they decide, not after Nigerians have been subjected to needless anxiety and uncertainty.”
He noted that the habit of announcing harsh socio-economic policies with little evidence of stakeholder consultation, only to retreat when confronted by overwhelming public resistance, does not translate to responsive governance.
Instead, he argued, it exposes a fundamental disconnect from the daily, harrowing realities of citizens currently battling hyperinflation, soaring electricity tariffs, prohibitive transportation costs, and eroded purchasing power.
While commending the collective resilience of parents, teachers, labor unions, and student bodies whose voices forced the policy reconsideration, Atiku maintained that suspending the fee hike should not mark the end of the intervention.
He urged the Federal Government to immediately initiate structured engagements with education stakeholders to design a sustainable funding framework for WAEC and NECO. This, he said, must focus on strengthening the capacity and infrastructure of the examination bodies without shifting financial burdens onto vulnerable, struggling Nigerian families.
Looking ahead to the next political cycle, Atiku noted that the recurrent policy flip-flops provide a clear contrast for the electorate as the 2027 general elections draw closer. He stated that Nigerians will have to choose between an administration reliant on trial-and-error governance and an experienced leadership framework with a verified track record in national administration.
”The lesson from this latest policy reversal is simple: a nation as important as Nigeria cannot be governed like a laboratory for endless experimentation. Nigerians deserve leadership that listens before it acts, consults before it decides, and gets it right the first time,” Atiku concluded.
