WAEC may consider tie with EFCC to check exam fraud

Kunle Olayeni, Uyo - 30.01.2008

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) may consider working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to fight examination malpractices in the country.

The Head of WAEC National Office in Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Uzoigwe, gave the indication while speaking with journalists after inaugurating the ultra-modern WAEC office complex in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, on Monday.

He described examination malpractice as a “fraud” which, he said, WAEC was determined to confront headlong. “The EFCC is involved in tackling fraud. When we catch people over examination malpractices, they are likely to end up with the EFCC,” he stated.

Uzoigwe did not, however, elaborate on the specific areas in which the examination body was poised to work with the anti-graft agency.

He absolved WAEC officials of complicity in examination malpractices, blaming the problem on ad-hoc staff usually engaged by the examination body to assist in the conduct of examinations.

“Nigerians find it very difficult to draw a distinction between actual WAEC officials and exam functionaries. WAEC officials, how many are they? Barely 2,000. They cannot conduct examination for over a million candidates in the whole country. So, we have to engage hands.

“We engage school principals and teachers as supervisors and invigilators and these people you call WAEC officials. Of course, I don’t blame you.

“We know that they engage in all sort of malpractices; they collude with schools, they collude with candidates to cheat. Schools give them money and those people are the ones you would now see and say WAEC people are colluding with these candidates,” he explained.