The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, has approved a new uniform registration fee of N50,000 for both the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE), effective from 2027.
The approval, contained in a memo dated June 18, 2026, and signed by Director of Senior Secondary Education, Mr. Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the Education Minister, directs both examination bodies to adopt a single fee structure. The new rate represents a significant hike from the current N27,000 for WAEC and N30,000 for NECO per candidate.
The memo, addressed to NECO’s Registrar and seen by Vanguard Newspaper, cited a March 31, 2026 meeting where the Minister directed the two councils to harmonise their fees.
The increase has sparked concerns among parents, who fear many candidates in states where governments do not subsidise examination fees may be priced out of registering. In Lagos State, for example, the government currently pays WAEC fees for candidates, while parents bear the cost of NECO registration.
Stakeholders also worry the upward revision could further swell the debts owed to both examination bodies by some state governments that cover exam costs for their indigenes.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
