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Reduction in JAMB, SSCE Fees Welcome but not Enough, Nigerians Tell FG

Published

7 years ago

November 29, 2018

Eric

Mixed reactions have trailed the Federal Government’s review of fees for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and Basic Education Certificate Examination.

Some stakeholders, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, commended the gesture and urged the government to overhaul the education sector.

NAN reports that the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the downward review of the examination registration fees which will take effect from January 2019.

An entrepreneur, Mr Sunday Ukachukwu, described the action as a “good step” in the right direction.

“I give the Federal government credit for the downward review, but I think they can still do better because the reduction is not so significant.

“If they reviewed the fees by 50 per cent, the reduction would have been significant, but what you have is 13 per cent reduction,’’ he said.

A Public Affairs Analyst, Mr Ben Ekiyi, commended the Federal Government for the reduction saying that it would ensure inclusiveness among other things.

“‎It is a good thing because any reduction in prices of goods or services always makes the masses happy, especially in these times where many people are facing a lot of hardship. ‎

“I feel this reduction will ensure inclusiveness as more students will now be able to write these examinations.

“Since more students will now be able to write the examinations, hidden potentials will be exposed, because we have some intelligent students who have not been able to afford the examination fees,’’ he said.

A parent, ‎Mrs Lelo Apena, said the reduction of fees was a diversion from the real issues plaguing the education sector, such as poor quality of education, dilapidated infrastructure and out-of-school children.

According to her, this kind of reduction does not make any sense; N1,500 difference will not solve the problems bedevilling the education in Nigeria.

‎“I tell you, reduction in these fees is a kind of diversion from the real issue; has the government thought of reducing tuition fees so that those who are qualified will be enrolled and do not drop out for lack of fees.

“Our tertiary institutions are always on strike; is it the reduction of JAMB fees and NECO that will solve the problem of poor quality of students and lecturer?

“Are the out-of-school children and their parents and guardians being helped to ensure their children are enrolled in school and not drop out before completion for various reasons?‎’’ she queried.

Apena was of the opinion that states government should take over the payment of JAMB and NECO fees for poor students in their communities‎.

A retiree, Ms Ruseh Okaro, who also spoke to NAN, said the reduction was a welcome development, however, she said ‎ the quality of education was still a major cause of concern.
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“It is a welcome development but I do not think the fees should have been as high as that in the first place, given the importance of education to the wellbeing of a nation.

“I also hope this reduction is sustainable and a holistic approach was used to arrive at these new fees”.
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A parent, Mr Shittu Ahmed, said the reduction was commendable, however, government should look into other areas of the sector such as dilapidated infrastructure and lack of learning materials.
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A public servant, Mrs Folakemi Aina, said the reduction in the fees was long overdue and wondered why the government was coming out with a lot of policies now that elections were drawing closer.

(NAN)

Featured

Senate Approves Tinubu’s N1.15tr Domestic Loan Request to Fund 2025 Budget Deficit

Published

20 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Eric

The Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to raise N1.15 trillion from the domestic debt market to cover the unfunded portion of the 2025 budget deficit.

The approval followed the adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt during plenary on Wednesday.

The committee noted that the 2025 Appropriation Act provides for a total expenditure of N59.99 trillion, representing an increase of N5.25 trillion over the N54.74 trillion initially proposed by the Executive.

This expansion created a total budget deficit of N14.10 trillion. Of this, N12.95 trillion had already been approved for borrowing, leaving an unfunded deficit of approximately N1.15 trillion (N1,147,462,863,321).

In a related development, a motion by Senator Abdul Ningi was adopted, directing the Senate Committee on Appropriations to intensify its oversight to ensure that the borrowed funds are properly implemented in the 2025 fiscal year and used strictly for their intended purposes.

President Tinubu had on November 4th requested the approval of the National Assembly for a fresh ₦1.15 trillion borrowing from the domestic debt market to help finance the deficit in the 2025 budget.

The President’s request was conveyed in a letter. According to the letter, the proposed borrowing is intended to bridge the funding gap and ensure full implementation of government programs and projects under the 2025 fiscal plan.

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APC’s Joe Igbokwe Calls for Dismissal of Soldier Who Stood His Ground Against Wike

Published

1 day ago

November 12, 2025

Eric

A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has called for the dismissal of the soldier who resisted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The soldier had blocked Wike and officials of the FCTA from accessing a portion of land in the FCT.

The officer, claiming he was acting on instructions, told Wike that he would not be allowed into the property. Wike, however, questioned his authority, leading to a heated confrontation and name calling.

Reacting on Facebook, Igbokwe questioned who was behind the military officer in challenging the FCT Minister.

He wrote, “Who is this man in uniform? Of what meat is he fed? Who is beating the drum for him? This is unacceptable? His uniform has to be removed.”

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Senates Rejects NNPCL’s Explanation, Orders Refund of N210trn to Govt

Published

1 day ago

November 12, 2025

Eric

The Senate has rejected the explanations provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) regarding the ₦210 trillion outstanding against the oil firm.

It came to the conclusion on Wednesday that the money, which had not been accounted for, must be refunded to the Federation Account by the company.

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada, which has been on the probe for months, took the decision on Tuesday after the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, failed to turn up at its resumed sitting at the National Assembly.

The session was called to give the NNPCL the opportunity to make clarifications on the answers the company provided to the 19 questions the panel asked the firm about the ₦210 trillion.

Following a review of the operations of the NNPCL from 2017-2023, the committee sighted the unexplained transaction, totaling ₦103 trillion (accrued expenses) and ₦107 trillion (receivables) in the audited financial statements of the firm, prompting it to raise the queries.

After weeks of back-and-forth between the committee and the NNPCL, the NNPCL eventually responded to the 19 questions.

However, at a resumed session, Senator Wadada frowned at the absence of Ojulari, whom the committee said gave no reasons for staying away, consequently rejected the explanations.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada, while speaking on the panel’s findings, said the responses were not only unsatisfactory, but were also contradictory.

“NNPC claimed ₦103 trillion as accrued expenses and ₦107 trillion as receivables -amounting to ₦210 trillion. On question eight, NNPC’s explanation on the ₦107 trillion receivables -equivalent to about $117 billion -contradicts available facts and evidence provided by NNPC itself. The committee is duty-bound to reject this,” he stated.

Wadada further questioned how the firm could pay ₦103 trillion in Cash Calls to Joint Venture (JV) partners in 2023 alone, despite generating only ₦24 trillion in crude revenue between 2017 and 2022.

“Cash Call arrangements were abolished in 2016 under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. How can NNPC claim to have paid ₦103trn in one year, when it only generated ₦24trn in revenue over five years? Where did NNPC get that money?

“As far as this committee is concerned, that figure is unjustifiable and unacceptable. The ₦103 trillion must be returned to the Treasury. This will be concluded when the NNPCL appears before us,” he stated.

The committee said it would have been better for the current management of the NNPCL to admit that it encountered challenges in explaining what happened to the funds than giving contradictory answers to the questions.

“If the present management of NNPCL is finding it difficult to provide acceptable answers, it is better they say so. The committee will not hesitate to subpoena former officials of NNPCL and NAPIMS,” Wadada added.