Wike blames Amaechi for unpaid debt, promises to pay up
Osun, Imo, Rivers on debtors’ list as Ogun makes payment
As controversy continues to trail the non-payment of registration fees of candidates sponsored by some states in the May/June West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) examinations, Rivers and Osun state governments have advanced reasons why they did not meet up with their financial obligations.
This is just as Delta and Akwa Ibom governments kept mum when their reactions were sought on the debt put at over N4 billion by the examination body last week Monday. Also, the Imo State government said it was not sure of its status and insisted that WAEC had not approached it on the debt. On its part, the Rivers State government has promised to offset its debt.
Mr. Opunabo Inko-Tariah, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Nyesom Wike, said that the debt was part of the debt left behind by former Governor Chiibuike Rotimi Amaechi. He said that the Wike administration was committed to human capacity development, as well as the overall development of the state, noting that it could not achieve that without paying serious attention to education.
Inko-Tariah said that the governor had demonstrated his commitment to education by releasing funds for the state’s stranded students on scholarship abroad. He said: “This was caused by former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. That was how students on scholarship abroad suffered until Governor Nyesom Wike paid. The debt owed WAEC was inherited from the Amaechi administration, but it will be sorted out.”
Also, the Osun State government has admitted that it owes WAEC but said it will soon offset the debt. Speaking through the Director, Beareu of Communication, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the government attributed nonpayment of its registration fees to the dwindling monthly allocation from the federal government. Okanlawon who affirmed that the state would not be among those whose students’ results would be withheld by WAEC, said every necessary arrangement was being made to meet WAEC’s request on the matter. When contacted, officials of the Akwa Ibom state government refused to comment on the matter, an indication that the state may be one of the debtors.
The state Commissioner for Education, Mr Aniekan Akpan, neither answered the many calls to his mobile phone nor responded to the text messages. In his reaction, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has said he is not aware whether the state is among the debtors or not. Okorocha, who spoke with reporters at the Government House, Owerri, said he, “We have not received any letter to that effect and I am not sure we owe WAEC but in the event that the council writes us to that effect, we will pay because education is the biggest industry in Imo State and happens to be one of the focal points of my administration.
“I can tell you that no letter from WAEC has come to my attention and if they write that we owe them, then we shall do the needful.” Although in Niger State there was no official confirmation, a source said the state is among the debtors as the immediate past administration of Muazu Babangida Aliyu did not pay the money in full before the students sat for the examinations. Efforts to find out the status of the state from the Niger State office of WAEC proved abortive as an official, Mr. Gershon Dandak, declined to make comment.
But the Public Affairs Officer of WAEC in the state, Mr. Yusuf Ari, said the examination body might release the names of the states involved soon. Although he acknowledged that some of the states had started responding, he said: “We want to give them a little more time and we want to believe they will respect our patience. I can assure you that by the time we release the results, any state that is still owing will be made public.” Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has exonerated itself from the debtor states.
The state government in records of activities exclusively obtained by Saturday Telegraph, said that it paid N535,047,000 million for the examination and administrative fees of 42,995 SSIII students, who sat for the West African School Certificate Examination, WASSCE in the state. According to the report, the state government said in addition to prompt payment of the fees annually, it had been meeting with the WAEC officers and principals of Public Senior Secondary Schools, saying the meeting had served as a forum for education of the principals on their roles in the security and proper conduct of the WASSC examinations. On its part, the Kaduna State government said it only paid for students who want to sit for NECO exams.
Speaking to our correspondent on Thursday, the immediate past Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Ali, said that the state usually pays NECO and not WAEC registration fees for its students. According to him, not every final year secondary school student is eligible to enjoy the privilege. The former commissioner said that only those that get five credits during the qualifying exams for SS2 students benefit from the government’s kind gesture. Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, said he has offset the debt owed the WAEC by the state-sponsored candidates. Amosun, who spoke in Abeokuta during the week, disclosed that he had approved the payment of a sum of N496 million owed the regional examination body.
The examination body is due to release the results of the May/June 2015 WASSCE in two weeks time. But speaking at the Oba’s complex, Governor’s Office, Abeokuta during the inauguration of new transition committee chairmen for the 20 local government areas, Amosun said the state was no longer among the WAEC club of debtors.
According to him, he has on Tuesday signed the cheque for payment of N496million being the outstanding registration fees for the state candidates. Also, Ekiti State is not among the states owing the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) fees for the participation of final year students in public secondary schools in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination conducted by the body.
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