The African Action Congress, AAC, presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed to scrap the fees paid for the West African Examination Council, WAEC, and the National Examination Council, NECO, if elected President.

Sowore made the vow on Monday while presenting what he described as his administration’s education blueprint for Nigeria, promising free education from nursery school to university level.

He said access to education should not depend on a family’s financial status, insisting that every Nigerian child deserves an opportunity to learn without facing economic barriers.

According to him: “Let’s use this opportunity to show you, at a glance, what our education policy will look like after 2027.

“No government under a #Sowore2027 administration will ask your child to pay WAEC, NECO, or any other public examination fee. Education will be free because knowledge is a right, not a privilege.

“Our revolutionary education policy guarantees free, high-quality education from early childhood through university, backed by modern classrooms, virtual learning, well-paid teachers, student grants, and equal opportunities for every Nigerian child.

“This is not a promise of politics. It is a revolutionary commitment to build a nation where no child’s future is determined by poverty. Read it. Share it. Debate it. Join the movement to make it a reality.”

A former Political Adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Akin Osuntokun, on Monday insisted that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari did not govern well even though he was a hero of the North.

Osuntokun said Buhari did not improve the living standards of Nigerians.

He noted that crisis between Hausa-Fulani militias, farmers and herders escalated under Buhari’s administration.

The former presidential adviser spoke during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where he assessed Buhari’s legacy one year after his death.

Osuntokun said, “He was a hero of the North but didn’t govern well in terms of affecting the living standard of the people, it was under him that the conflict between the Huasa-Fulani militias, herders-farmers escalated beyond operations while making statement that they are your brothers you should learn to be with them.

“He always looked at his appointments, it categorically Northern dominated government, so he himself was non-apologetic about being perceived as at.

“During the period that we are evaluating him as the president of Nigeria, he led a Fulani-Muslim delegation to Ibadan due to the conflict in Oke-Ogun area between Fulani and the host Yoruba community and he went to see Governor Lam Adesina, where he said he was there on behalf of the Fulani people.”

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Osita Okechukwu, has said Nigerians are no longer focused on the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, insisting that they are now more concerned about stomach infrastructure.

Speaking during an interview on Trust TV’s Sunday Politics programme, Okechukwu said the rising cost of living and economic hardship have become the major concerns of Nigerians.

“Nigerians are no longer talking about the Muslim-Muslim ticket; they are now talking about stomach infrastructure,” he said.

According to him, President Tinubu’s policies over the past three years have demonstrated that his administration is not driven by religious considerations.

“Tinubu has shown in the last three years that he is not making policies based on the Muslim-Muslim ticket or because he wants to favour Muslims,” Osita added.

He also urged President Tinubu to delegate more responsibilities to Vice President Kashim Shettima, particularly in the areas of economic management and national security.

Citing a recent report by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, which warned that rising prices of essential goods could worsen poverty and food insecurity in Nigeria despite improved macroeconomic stability, Osita argued that Shettima could play a greater role in addressing some of the country’s economic challenges.