By Fatima Haruna (9News Nigeria Maiduguri)

Thousands of final-year students in Borno public secondary schools will sit for the 2026 external examinations without paying full fees.

This development comes after the Borno State government released ₦565.7 million to cover their registration costs.

The intervention announced on Friday in Maiduguri will benefit 28,789 candidates across the state’s 27 local government areas.

The support covers students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, National Business and Technical Examinations Board, NABTEB, and Senior Islamic Studies Examination, SISE.

For many parents, the subsidy brings major relief.

The Borno State Government is paying 75 percent of WASSCE and SISE fees, and 70 percent of NABTEB fees for eligible public school students.

Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe, said the policy has ended years of delay in result release for public school candidates.

“Today, public school students receive their examination results at the same time as their counterparts in private schools, promoting fairness and equal opportunity,” Wakilbe said.

In a first for the state, students of Higher Islamic Colleges are also included through SISE.

Officials say this aligns with Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s plan to integrate the Sangaya system into mainstream education so that every child has equal opportunity.

Since 2019, the Zulum administration says it has spent ₦4.71 billion on external exam fees for 193,963 students in Borno.

At the cheque presentation, WAEC’s Officer-in-Charge in Maiduguri, Dr. A. I. Akanimoh, thanked the government on behalf of the beneficiaries, noting that the timely payment would allow thousands of students to write their exams without financial barriers.

The government presented: ₦558.13 million to WAEC for WASSCE candidates, ₦4.58 million to NABTEB, and ₦3.03 million to NBAIS for SISE candidates.

Zulum commission new NECO office

In another boost for students, Governor Zulum commissioned a new permanent NECO office in Maiduguri.

The facility at Moduganari Junction, along Maiduguri–Jos Road, sits on a 4,500-square-meter site donated by the state.

It includes eight offices, a strong room, conference hall, and solar power.

NECO Zonal Director, Mrs. Deborah C. Rukop, said the completion of the office after more than 10 years of abandonment will improve service delivery and make registration and collection of results easier for Borno candidates.