House of Rep Rejects Motion to Cover WAEC, NECO, JAMB Fees
The House of Representatives stirred debates and discussions on Wednesday as they debate a motion urging the federal government to waive all secondary school examination fees for the academic years 2023 and 2024. This proposal was seen as a relief measure in response to the recent removal of the fuel subsidy.
The motion was introduced by Anamero Dekeri, an APC representative from Edo, the motion implored the federal government to shoulder the expenses for crucial exams including WAEC, NECO, and UTME for all secondary student.
In Dekeri’s view, the subsidy removal has allowed the government to save significantly—approximately N17.2 billion daily—which had previously been exploited by a select few, and the money should be use to help the country education system.
The motion reads, “Given this significant saving, it’s only fair that the government uses a fraction of these funds to alleviate the financial pressures on ordinary citizens,” Dekeri argued. The central tenet of his motion was for the Ministry of Education to grant free registrations for the aforementioned exams for the years 2023 and 2024, positioning this as a tangible benefit of the fuel subsidy removal for the general populace“.
However the motion has been countered and dropped. As Julius Ihonvbere, the House Leader from APC, Edo, was not in favour of the motion, suggesting instead an alternative where each member would sponsor schools in their constituencies. This amendment, however, met resistance from Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano), who noted that many members already finance examination fees for their constituents.
Also the conversation took a turn when Awaji-Inombek Abiante from PDP, Rivers, voiced concerns over the exclusion of private schools. Labeling this as discriminatory, Abiante stressed the constitutional obligation to ensure equal treatment for all.
The final conclusion of these intense deliberations was a motion by Abiante to have both the original proposal and the amendments postponed for further consideration. After being subjected to a vote, this motion was eventually accepted by the House.
