2022 WAEC: Zulum pays N329m to offset exam fees for 21,827 students of public schools

AHMED MARI,  Maiduguri

Governor of Borno state Prof. Babagana Zulum has released  the sum of over N300million to offset fees owed the West African Examination Council (WAEC) by 21,827 students of public secondary schools who wrote this year’s (2022) examination across the State.

The State Commissioner for Education, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, who disclosed this on Wednesday while  presenting the cheque which  held at the conference hall of the Ministry of Education, Maiduguri said the money, totalling Three hundred and twenty nine million, eight hundred and five thousand, eight hundred Naira (N329,805,800) was already in WAEC’s account.

He said “government is paying N329,805,800 out of which N295,456,150 is for the settlement of State and Local Governments share, which is a subsidy of 75% of the 2022 WAEC Examination fees for 21, 827 students studying in public schools across Borno State, while the remaining Thirty-Four Million, Three Hundred and Forty-Nine Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Naira (N34,349,650) is to settle outstanding WAEC fees for the year 2018. With these, Government has now fully settled all its financial obligations to WAEC”..

He said with the payment, Borno’s 21,827 students who wrote WAEC exams from public schools are now free to access their results as WAEC already released the results on WAEC’s online portal.

He further  said with 2022 payments made, the state government was focusing on 2023 exams and for that the state government appealed to WAEC to consider extending the 2023 WASSCE to take places in eight (8) Local Government Areas, namely Damboa, Gwoza, Ngala, Dikwa, Mafa, Monguno, Gubio and Mobbar, stressing  that male and female students from the listed LGAs face serious challenges of being forced to relocate to Boarding Schools in Maiduguri for at least three (3) Months..

With the recent release of over N300m to WAEC, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has so far released the combined sum of One Billion, Five- Hundred and Sixty-Eight Million, One-Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand Five-Hundred and Ten Naira (N1,568,198,510) in three years, for WAEC, NECO and NABTEB exams in public schools.

The amount included the payment of N434,726,200 for 2019 exams; N391,272,000 for 2020; N412,394,510 for 2021 and N329,805,800 released in 2022.

Receiving the cheque,  the Coordinator of West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Maiduguri,Mr Zakariyau Abdullahi, who confirmed receipt of the payment by WAEC described Governor Zulum’s commitment to payment of WAEC fees for public schools candidates as consistent.

The coordinator promised to ensure that all candidates who wrote the exams were able to access their results within hours and this was done.

On the increase of examination centre to eight additional local government areas, Abdullahi said that WAEC was ready for that, but needed government support in areas of logistics (mobility, security and accommodation of officials).

He said “we are already in Chibok, Gwoza, Konduga and Kaga local government areas”.

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