Flashback: Year Tinubu Couldn't Pay For WAEC Over Increment as Gov of Lagos

• President Bola Tinubu recently announced the suspension of the review of the payment of WAEC and NECO to a uniform N50,000 for each SSCE candidate
• Tinubu, when he served as the governor of Lagos between 1999 and 2000, was popular for SSCE candidates throughout his tenure
• However, there was a year he decided not to pay for WAEC and rather opted to pay for NECO, following an increase in the West African exercise

President Bola Tinubu recently suspended the decision of his administration to increase the fee for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), following outcry from Nigerians against the new increment.

In a letter to WAEC and NECO dated June 18, 2026, the Ministry of Education directed the examination bodies to review the fee for the SSCE exercise to a uniform N50,000 for each candidate.

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History has a record that President Tinubu, when he served as the governor of Lagos state between 1999 and 2007, paid for candidates' SSCE throughout his tenure. However, one year stood out during the period, and that was 2000, when he did not pay for WAEC but opted for NECO, because the latter was cheaper than the former.

This was contained in a report by PM News, with the headline: "WAEC loses to rival body". The report was archived by Archivi.ng, a platform that archives old newspapers.

The report of Tinubu and WAEC

The report reads:

"The West African Examination Council (WAEC) may have lost all the candidates for the May/June 2000 Senior Secondary School Examinations to the newly-established National Examination Council (NECO), P.M. News can reveal.

"Investigations revealed that virtually all secondary schools in Lagos state (both public and private) have decided to register with the new body because of lower examination fees.

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"NECO’s charges, it was gathered, are about 50 per cent lower than those of WAEC. It was gathered that WAEC charges about ₦2,020.00 compared to NECO’s ₦1,000.00. Since the Lagos State government is paying for all public schools, it pitched tent with NECO and private schools have decided to follow its lead.

"Investigations further revealed that most private schools which had hitherto obtained the WAEC forms rushed back to NECO to meet last week’s registration deadline.

"When P.M. News called at some of the private schools, some of their head teachers who spoke under anonymity confirmed that their schools decided to go for NECO because of the lower fees.

"It was also revealed that all entries for the May/June 2000 NECO closed last week, while WAEC has extended its own closing date.

"It would be recalled that the Federal Government established NECO to conduct examinations for senior secondary school students in Nigeria, while WAEC will continue to serve the whole of the West African region."

Atiku reacts to suspension of WAEC, NECO fee hike

Legit.ng earlier reported that Atiku Abubakar has welcomed the government's suspension of the proposed WAEC and NECO registration fee increases.

Atiku's statement, issued by aide Phrank Shaibu, criticised the Tinubu administration for announcing harsh policies before consulting Nigerians.

The former vice president urged the government to develop a sustainable funding model for exam bodies that does not burden struggling families.

Source: Legit.ng