10th August, 2022
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has approved the release of N329 million owed the West African Examination Council (WAEC) by 21,827 students of public secondary schools in Borno State.
This is contained in a statement issued by the State’s Commissioner for Education, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe.
Wakilbe 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.
The cheque presentation was held at the conference hall of the state’s Ministry of Education in Musa Usman Secretariat.
Mr Zakariyau Abdullahi, WAEC’s Zonal Coordinator in Maiduguri, received the cheque.
“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”, the education Commissioner 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, Education Commissioner, Wakilbe confirmed.
He also said with 2022 payments done, 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.
These local government areas include Damboa, Gwoza, Ngala, Dikwa, Mafa, Monguno, Gubio and Mobbar.
Meanwhile, he noted 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.