On Tuesday, the Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, disclosed that the state government would discontinue the payment of the West African Senior School Examination Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examination Council (NECO) fees for students in secondary schools in the state. This announcement was made during his inspection to the ongoing renovation at Justice Legbo Kutigi Secondary School in Lavun LGA of Niger state.

According to Governor Bello, the government can not afford to pay N800 million every year for the students only to have just five percent of them pass the examinations. Instead, the government will invest the money in infrastructural development and provision of instructional materials for qualitative education, he said.

Parents who are deeply affected by the present decision taken by the Niger State Government have asked that the government reverse its decision to discontinue the payment of WASSCE and NECO fees for secondary school students, as it may cause them to drop out of school and would also not speak well of the state.

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