Reps Committee Blows Hot On WAEC Over Late-Night Exam

…Says it is a sign of incompetence 

By Friday Obande

The recent episodes of late night schedule of the West African Examination Council, WAEC, have been condemned by lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

The House committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies, raised alarm, criticising the West African Examinations Council, (WAEC) over such irregularities.

Slyke Bulletin on Wednesday, reported how several examination centres in Nigeria had candidates sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) sat for English Language paper at odd hours of the night, mostly without electricity.

Simultaneously, almost the same issues played out at other centres that were supposed to start the examination at 9am, which did not commence until 11:45pm.

On Thursday, the committee summoned WAEC to appear on Friday to explain the reason(s) for the irregularities, after which Ambrose Okelezo, Senior Assistant Registrar and Zonal Coordinator, appeared before the committee to represent Amos Dangut, Head of the national office, on Friday but however noted that he would not be available until Monday.

The committee members rejected the representative, insisting that Dangut must face the panel in person, as Oforji Oboku, Chairman of the committee, said the late night examination was “unpalatable and embarrassing.”

“In Jalingo, it was recorded that the examination started at about midnight. The emotional trauma these children went through can best be imagined,” he said.

“As stakeholders, we owe the public a duty of care, and we must not leave any stone unturned to prevent a recurrence.

“This committee demands to know the immediate and remote causes of this anomaly, which is why this invitation is urgent. Parents and Nigerians need to know why their children’s lives were endangered.

“It is expected that WAEC, as a body, lives up to its responsibility of organising these examinations with high standards, diligence and proper duty of care.

“There must not be an excuse, after all, monies were appropriated for the conduct of the examinations by parliament.”

Awaji-Inombek Abiante, a member of the committee, also said Okelezo is “not competent” to address the committee.

“He is not competent to speak to us because there is a myriad of issues, ranging from the fact that people in my village, where the government has never remembered, there is no house in my village that has electricity, but students had to write exams up to 1 am,” he said.

Abiante said he received several distress calls from his constituents over the midnight examination.

“You have failed. I don’t know why in a country of over 200 million Nigerians, the government cannot have competent hands to handle simple issues,” he added.

“I don’t know where they got this incompetence from. It’s either a glitch from INEC or from JAMB. Should we call this a glitch from WAEC?”