Abia Govt Denies WAEC/NECO Levies, Warns Principals Against Extortion
The Abia State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has debunked claims that public school students are being asked to pay for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or the forthcoming National Examinations Council (NECO) exams, warning school authorities against any form of extortion.
In a statement made available to THE WHISTLER by the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Duru Marvellous, on Thursday, the government reaffirmed that Governor Alex Otti had fully paid for the WAEC and NECO registration fees of all eligible public school students across the state.
“The Ministry wishes to inform the general public that His Excellency, Governor Alex Chioma Otti, has fully paid the WAEC and NECO fees for all public school students.
“Therefore, no principal or school official is authorised to collect money from students under any guise. Any such act will attract serious disciplinary action,” the statement read.
The ministry also addressed the ongoing revalidation exercise, explaining that it is a routine process aimed at confirming the authenticity of students registered for government-funded exams. It stressed that the revalidation should be strictly data-driven and must not be monetised.
Furthermore, the ministry explained that the revalidation is tied to the operations of the Abia State Basic and Secondary Education Management Information System (ASBS-EMIS)—a digital platform developed to enhance accountability, transparency, and real-time monitoring of student data and school performance.
According to the ministry, ASBS-EMIS ensures that only genuinely registered students benefit from government subsidies and helps to eliminate fraudulent entries and financial leakages in the education sector.
“The ASBS-EMIS platform is being used to verify and validate student data. School heads are therefore expected to cooperate with the process and not hijack it to exploit parents or learners,” it stated.
The ministry encouraged parents and guardians to report any unauthorised fee collections to its official complaint channels and assured the public of its commitment to upholding Governor Otti’s policy of free, compulsory, and quality education in the state.
Abia Govt Denies WAEC/NECO Levies, Warns Principals Against Extortion is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
