The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has voiced strong opposition to the National Examination Council’s, NECO, recent introduction of a N50,000 fee for the reprinting of certificates.
NECO had announced that candidates would be required to pay this fee for any requests to reprint their certificates, a policy that was confirmed by NECO Registrar, Dantani Wushishi, in Minna, Niger State.
Wushishi explained that the fee was subject to periodic reviews, adding that reprint requests would only be entertained within one year of the original certificate issuance. Beyond that period, NECO would no longer process such requests.
Reacting to the policy, Abdulyekinni Odunayo, Clerk of the Senate for NANS, condemned the fee as excessive and a commercialisation of education.
In a statement released on Thursday, Odunayo criticised the decision, citing the economic challenges faced by Nigerian students and calling the N50,000 charge a heavy financial burden that could further exclude vulnerable students from accessing their certificates.
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He emphasized that the policy undermines NECO’s credibility and questions the council’s commitment to providing affordable and accessible education. NANS also said that the fee structure lacks transparency and raises concerns about mismanagement and inefficiency within NECO’s operations.
NANS, while advocating for equitable access to education, demanded an immediate reduction of the fee to a more reasonable level and called for an extension of the reprint request deadline to five years. The association also urged NECO to engage with key stakeholders to create a student-centered policy moving forward.
In its closing statement, NANS reiterated its stance against the commercialisation of education and vowed not to remain passive as students continue to be exploited through unjust financial demands.
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