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Atiku Abubakar criticizes government's policy formulation after WAEC, NECO fee hike suspension

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the President Bola Tinubu-led government following its decision to suspend the proposed increase in registration fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination WASSCE and the National Examinations Council NECO Senior School Certificate Examination. Atiku welcomed the suspension, but argued that the policy should not have been introduced without adequate consultation, describing the reversal as exposing a pattern of poor policy formulation. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku called the government's reversal a victory for parents, students, labor unions, civil society organizations, and other Nigerians who opposed the increase. He accused the government of repeatedly introducing policies without sufficient stakeholder engagement, only to reverse course after public backlash, stating that "governing is not a laboratory for reckless experimentation." Atiku emphasized that the proposed fee increase would have placed an additional financial burden on families already struggling with inflation and rising costs. He urged the Federal Government to go beyond the suspension and engage stakeholders to develop a sustainable funding model for WAEC and NECO without shifting the financial burden to parents. The Federal Government had announced the suspension of the proposed N50,000 increase after widespread criticism, with the Ministry of Education stating tha