Last week, the House of Representatives rejected a proposal to provide free external secondary school examinations for the 2023/2024 session to assist families affected by the removal of fuel subsidies and its impact on the economy.
The lawmakers argued that Nigeria couldn’t afford to offer free WAEC, NECO, and UTME exams to its citizens who were already struggling with economic difficulties due to the subsidy removal. Ironically, while they deemed free exams too expensive, they were on the verge of spending a staggering N75 billion to purchase luxury vehicles for their personal use.
To put this N75 billion expenditure in perspective:
- Pay for UTME, NECO, and WAEC for 1.6 million students:
- Around 1.6 million students took the 2023 UTME, costing N5,500 per candidate, totaling N8.8 billion.
- Similarly, 1.6 million candidates sat for the WAEC, each paying N18,000 in fees, totaling N28.8 billion.
- For NECO, 1.205 million students registered for the 2023 exam, with a total cost of N21.3 billion.
- Without buying expensive vehicles, the funds could have covered the exam fees for all Nigerian students, with N16.8 billion left over for other purposes.
- Build four primary healthcare centers in every local government:
- It costs between N18 million and N22 million to build a primary healthcare center in Nigeria.
- With the N75 billion, members of the National Assembly could have constructed four such centers in each local government, resulting in 3,096 primary healthcare centers to serve constituents.
- Fund 10 federal medical centers for a year:
- The N75 billion could have funded 10 federal medical centers for a year, covering expenses such as salaries, drugs, and capital projects.
- Provide 400 laptops in every local government:
- By opting to invest in IT training for students in their local governments, the N75 billion would have been sufficient to purchase 279,810 laptops. Each local government would receive 400 laptops, facilitating the learning of programming and other IT skills.
- Address the issue of 13.5 million out-of-school children:
- Members of the National Assembly could have contributed to addressing the out-of-school crisis by supporting states in accessing the Universal Basic Education Fund (UBEC). This fund could have been used to build or renovate more schools, especially in areas lacking the necessary resources.
It appears that the lawmakers have chosen to prioritize the purchase of expensive vehicles over these critical needs, despite the pressing challenges faced by the country.