NANS Rejects NECO's N50,000 Certificate Reprint Fee Amidst Economic Hardship
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has rejected the National Examination Council's (NECO) newly imposed N50,000 fee for certificate reprints, labeling it as outrageous and a form of educational commercialization.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has expressed strong opposition to the newly imposed N50,000 fee by the National Examination Council (NECO) for the reprinting of certificates. This controversial policy, announced by NECO's Registrar, Dantani Wushishi, in Minna, Niger State, stipulates that the fee will be subject to periodic review and that requests for certificate reprints will only be accepted within one year of the original issuance.
In a statement, NANS Clerk of the Senate, Comrade Abdulyekinn Odunayo, condemned the fee as outrageous and indicative of the commercialization of education in Nigeria. He highlighted the financial struggles faced by students, emphasizing that this new policy places an additional burden on them at a time when many are already struggling to make ends meet.
Odunayo stated, “This draconian policy is a slap in the face of Nigerian students, already beset by financial hardships and uncertainty. The N50,000 fee is an unacceptable burden, exacerbating financial exclusion and denying countless students access to their rightful certificates.”
Concerns were raised regarding NECO's fee structure and policies, which NANS deemed lacking in transparency and potentially leading to mismanagement of funds and inefficient service delivery. The student body reiterated its commitment to advocating for affordable, accessible, and quality education and demanded an immediate reversal of the fee, calling for it to be reduced to a more reasonable amount. Additionally, NANS requested an extension of the reprint request deadline to five years and suggested stakeholder engagement to promote student-centric decision-making.
“The National Association of Nigerian Students will not stand idly while education is commercialized and students are exploited,” the statement concluded, reinforcing NANS's stance against the fee.
This rejection of NECO's fee highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Nigerian students amid economic difficulties and raises questions about the council's commitment to educational equity.
