Trust in exam bodies’ data handling — WAEC

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has urged critical stakeholders and the public in general to have trust in examination bodies in the country.

The Head of National Office (HNO) Mr Patrick Areghan, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

He urged them to trust in the ability of the processes of WAEC and other examination bodies, in handling data.

Areghan was speaking against the backdrop of the drama that unfolded between the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and one of the candidates that sat for its 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme.

Recall that Ejikeme had done a video that went viral, stating that she posted the highest score in the examination with a total of 362, as against the 249 issued to her by JAMB.

The board, through its Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, however, dismissed the claim as false.

Benjamin maintained that Ejikeme’s claim of 362 was manipulated and fake, sdding that the board’s system was neither tampered with nor compromised.

Areghan said there was the need for Nigerians to believe in the abilities of the examination bodies in the country.

He said that theirs was to serve the Nigerian child in the best way possible, to enhance a brighter future.

The WAEC boss described the act carried out by Ejikeme as unfortunate, noting that it was part of the rot in the system.

“It is very sad and I really don’t know what must have led her to the act. It is more painful because it is becoming a general trend.

“I feel the major reason for this could be to gain undue advantage and unfortunately, it ended the way it did.

“I just want to call on Nigerians to show support and trust on our ability to handle, process and share data and other tasks, as it concerns conducting public examinations in the country.

“It is not fair to outrightly jump into conclusions or run down examination bodies, without first seeking clarifications on why, or how certain things could have occurred.

“I am happy with the way JAMB handled and put the whole thing to rest. It stood its ground firmly, on what it knows was the truth.

“It has been able to prove that it is an examination body to be reckoned with, as it was acting based on the data in its possession concerning the candidate in question, which was later acknowledged to be correct by even the candidate.

“It answered all the questions raised concerning the matter, with very clear evidence.

“The lesson learnt here is for us as Nigerians not to rely on speculations and gossips, nor swallow hook, line and sinker, all we hear and see on social media,” Areghan stated.

He called on Nigerians, especially stakeholders, to always approach the various test bodies in the country to seek clarifications on any issue bordering on their respective examinations, first hand.

The WAEC boss said this should be done to avoid being misled or misinformed.
According to him, that way, the candidates or any stakeholder, is sure of the authenticity of any data or record issued to them.

He noted that WAEC, for instance, has accurate record of all candidates that register and write its examinations each year, irrespective of where they sit for it.

“If you are looking for the performance of any candidate, feel free to visit us and we will oblige you.

“Same goes for JAMB and NECO, which are all handlers of our public examinations,” he said.

The council boss urged students to take their studies seriously and avoid looking for the easiest way out out issues.

He said they should imbibe the spirit of hard work, that would guarantee a better and brighter future, not just for themselves or family, but the country at large.