Gov. Ododo Approves Over N542 Million for JAMB, Other Exam Fees »

The Kogi State Government has approved the sum of N542,416,784 for the payment of 2025 JAMB and internal examinations fees for students in public schools across the state.

The announcement was made by the Hon. Commissioner for Education, Hon. Wemi Jones, during a press briefing on February 4, 2025. The initiative, he noted, is in line with the state’s policy of ensuring free payment of both internal and external examination fees for students in government-owned schools.

Hon. Jones recalled that in 2024, the immediate past Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, signed into law a bill approving free payment for all external and internal examinations for public school students. The current administration, led by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, has continued to build on this foundation to enhance educational development in the state.

Hon. Jones said As part of the initiative, the state government had recently disbursed N661,310,200 for the payment of the 2024/2025 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) fees for Senior Secondary School (SS3) students in public schools. According to him, the verification and data capturing process for the WAEC fee payment is currently underway across the state’s three senatorial districts.

He noted that the latest approval by Governor Ododo covers the Basic Six and Common Entrance Examination for 25,100 pupils at the sum of N145,476,984.

Likewise the payment for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for 30,500 pupils at N215,220,000

He also added that the payment of JAMB fee for 18,734 students at N181,719,800 have been approved.

The commissioner stressed the positive impact of this initiative, stating that the free payment of examination fees in 2024 led to an 18% increase in school enrollment and improved students’ performance in national examinations by 12%. He emphasized that the policy is reducing the number of out-of-school children while enhancing students’ academic success.

Hon. Jones expressed gratitude to Governor Ododo for his investment in education and acknowledged the efforts of the past administration under Alhaji Yahaya Bello for laying the foundation for these developments.