Parents Fume As Doherty Condemns Sanwo-Olu’s Tax Clearance Policy For WAEC

In an open letter to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Doherty described the policy as unfair, equating it to punishing students for their parents’ failure to pay taxes. He cautioned that denying students free WASSCE registration, administered by the West African Examination Council (WAEC), could negatively impact the state’s economy and society in the long run.

Doherty called on Governor Sanwo-Olu to rescind the policy and ensure that all public secondary school students are registered for the exam without such conditions.

He wrote: “Recent reports suggest that the Lagos State Government (LASG) has mandated that students in state-run public secondary schools must provide their parents’ or guardians’ tax clearance certificates to qualify for free WAEC registration.”

“While I strongly support the enforcement of tax compliance, this specific policy is deeply concerning. Education is a fundamental right, and access to critical examinations like WAEC should not depend on a child’s parents’ or guardians’ financial standing or tax status. This policy risks penalizing students for circumstances outside their control, potentially closing doors to opportunities that could change their lives.”

Doherty further emphasized his longstanding stance that Lagos should offer genuinely free formal, technical, and vocational education to all public school students up to the senior secondary level, except for those who can and willingly choose to pay.

“This isn’t just a progressive initiative—it’s a crucial investment in the future prosperity, security, and stability of our state. LASG itself claims to have a policy of free education up to the secondary school level, and even the Federal Government has expressed plans to redefine basic education as encompassing 12 years of combined primary and secondary schooling,” he added.