The Federal Government has approved an increase in the registration fees for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for internal candidates, raising the amount payable to N50,000 per candidate from 2027.
The decision, approved through the Federal Ministry of Education, is expected to see NECO’s SSCE registration fee rise from N30,000 to N50,000, while WAEC’s fee will increase from N27,000 to N50,000.
According to a memo dated June 18, 2026, and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the Minister of Education, the approval followed discussions on harmonising examination fees charged by the two examination bodies.
The memo, addressed to the Registrar of NECO, stated:
“You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the Honourable Minister of Education on 31st March, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fee was discussed, the Honourable Minister of Education directed that the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council should adopt a uniform fee for the conduct of WAEC and NECO SSCE.”
It added:
“Consequently, I am directed to convey the Honourable Minister of Education’s approval of the sum of Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000) only, as the new examination fee for candidates with effect from NECO SSCE Internal 2027.”
The ministry also instructed NECO to communicate the new fee structure to all relevant stakeholders ahead of its implementation.
WAEC concluded its 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination for school candidates a few weeks ago, while NECO’s examination is currently ongoing.
The planned increase has, however, raised concerns among education stakeholders, with fears that it could place additional financial pressure on families and state governments that sponsor candidates’ examination fees.
Some observers believe the new fee could increase the outstanding debts owed to WAEC and NECO by states that pay examination fees on behalf of public school candidates.
Parents have also expressed concern that the higher registration cost may prevent some students from sitting the examinations, particularly in states where governments do not subsidise or fully cover the fees.
Source: Vanguard Newspaper.
