Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the increase in fees charged by Federal Unity Colleges and the reported introduction of a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for candidates sitting for the West African Examinations Council and National Examinations Council examinations from 2027. Atiku described the fee increases as harsh and economically insensitive, arguing that they conflict with the Federal Government’s constitutional responsibility to make education accessible to Nigerian children. In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said the policy would impose additional hardship on families already struggling with inflation, rising food and transportation costs, electricity tariffs, unemployment, and stagnant incomes. Atiku, who was identified in the statement as the African Democratic Congress’s presidential candidate, said education remained a major instrument of social mobility and a pathway out of poverty for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. According to Vanguard, Atiku warned that every additional financial burden placed on parents could force more children out of school and deny them opportunities to develop their potential.“Nigeria already bears the painful distinction of having one of the largest populations of out-of-school children in the world,” he said. He claimed that between 10.5 million and 15 million Nigerian children and young people were currently outside the classroom, depending on the age group and the methodology used to arrive at the figures. Atiku argued that the government should invest in measures to return out-of-school children to classrooms rather than introduce policies that could further reduce access to education. He also warned that higher fees in Federal Unity Colleges and increased charges for WAEC and NECO examinations would disproportionately affect children from poor and middle-income families. According to him, many parents are already being forced to make difficult choices among feeding, healthcare, transportation, and education. Atiku further questioned the government’s promotion of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as a major achievement. At the same time, in his view, financial barriers at the secondary-school level could prevent students from qualifying for university admission.“A university loan offers little comfort to a child who has already been priced out of secondary education or cannot afford the qualifying examination required for admission,” he said. He maintained that genuine educational reform should focus on making primary and secondary education affordable, expanding the admission capacity of tertiary institutions, and preventing poverty from denying children access to learning.“No nation has ever taxed its way into educational excellence. Countries that aspire to economic greatness invest more, not less, in education during difficult times because they understand that human capital is the engine of sustainable development,” Atiku added. The former vice president urged Tinubu to convene an urgent dialogue with relevant stakeholders to develop sustainable financing for public education. He said the ADC would oppose policies that make education unaffordable for ordinary families, promising that an ADC-led government would reverse the proposed increase in examination fees, expand access to quality education, and increase the carrying capacity of tertiary institutions.