The House of Representatives Friday promised to get to the root cause of the midnight conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in parts of the country.
Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Examination Bodies, Oboku Oforji, made the pledge during a session with officials of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) at the National Assembly.
At the meeting, Oforji offered an apology to Nigerian parents and the general public for the disturbing incidents, notably the reports of exams being conducted around midnight in certain locations.
He said: “In Jalingo, for instance, it was reported that exams began at around 12:00 a.m. This is unacceptable.
“The emotional trauma inflicted on these students is unimaginable.
“As stakeholders, we have a duty of care to the public and must ensure such occurrences are never repeated.”
Representative of WAEC at the hearing, Senior Assistant Registrar and Zonal Coordinator, Ambrose Okelezo, informed the committee that the Head of WAEC Nigeria was unable to attend due to an emergency meeting with the Registrar and heads of other national offices.
He appealed for the session to be rescheduled to Monday, allowing the WAEC head to appear in person and address the concerns raised.
However, this request was met with strong resistance from members of the committee.
Awaji-Inombek Abiante (PDP, Rivers) criticised the absence, insisting that the WAEC leadership could not dictate the terms of its appearance before the House.
“He just admitted he’s not competent to address us. Then why is he still here?” Abiante asked.
“In my village, where there is no electricity, students were forced to write exams at 12 a.m. and 1 a.m., calling me in distress.
“Exam papers were reportedly left in a keke [tricycle] used to carry passengers. This is disgraceful.”
In his intervention, Billy Osawaru (PDP, Edo) expressed similar concerns and moved a motion seconded by Hon. Abiante for the adjournment of the hearing until the WAEC Head could appear personally.
The motion was unanimously adopted, and resolved to reconvene on Monday, June 2, at 2:00 p.m.
