The National Examinations Council is grappling with a severe financial crisis, as state governments continue to default on examination fee payments. The outstanding debts now total approximately N2 billion, following the release of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination results.

NECO's Registrar, Ibrahim Wushishi, revealed that state government debts include N3 billion owed for 2022 SSCE external exams and N2 billion for 2021, with overall debts from 2012 to 2023 totaling N5.5 billion. In just 2019, states failed to pay N2.8 billion in examination fees.

The West African Examinations Council faces similar challenges. In 2015, WAEC threatened to withhold results from 19 states over unpaid fees, and in 2025, the organisation withheld results from states still owing examination charges.

These persistent debts expose a fundamental neglect of education among state governments, despite receiving unprecedented federal allocations, particularly following the removal of petrol subsidies. Nigeria's education budget allocation has remained between 5.0 and 10.8 percent over the past decade, far below the 15 to 20 percent recommended by UNICEF.

This contrasts sharply with historical precedents, such as the Western Region under Obafemi Awolowo, which allocated between 20 and 40% to education. Countries like Finland invested €14.6 billion in education in 2023 alone and have allocated 5.4% of GDP to education.

Furthermore, the issue is compounded by NECO's practice of withholding student results until states settle their debts. This has disrupted students' academic futures and delayed university admissions, punishing innocent students for their governments' failures.

The broader crisis is further intensified by Nigeria's deteriorating educational infrastructure and underpaid teachers. Notably, despite the Universal Basic Education Commission setting aside over N135 billion in matching grants from 2020 to 2024, these funds remain largely unutilised. As of October 2024, 12 states continued to pay the 2011 minimum wage of N18,000 to teachers, while nine states had yet to implement the N70,000 minimum wage signed into law in July 2024.

State governors must prioritise settling examination debts to restore the credibility of NECO and WAEC and secure Nigeria's educational future.