By Emmanuel Olorunsola
The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has suggested that the Federal Government should use tertiary institutions’ spaces in Nigeria for the 2019/2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Babalola, who expressed concerns about 1.5million students that registered for WASSCE, stated that their lives shouldn’t be put in jeopardy as regards their future.
In a statement on the Federal Government’s decision to exempt the country from this year’s WASSCE due to the spread of coronavirus, he said the decision was not well thought-out. He said, “It is my firm belief that the future of these 1.5 million young Nigerians who have registered for WAEC should not be put in jeopardy. It is a well-known fact that all schools, colleges and tertiary institutions in the country are currently shut down.
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“The Federal Government should allow the WASSCE to take place in the empty spaces which are wasting away in our tertiary institutions, secondary schools and elementary schools which can conveniently accommodate them with a lot of social distancing and due compliance with WHO rules.”
According to him, it is wrong for the country to have made such sole decision due to the fear of COVID-19, when other participating nations have not withdrawn from the annual examination.
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“This affords the Federal Government the opportunity to use them for WAEC examination. What the government should do is to prepare the empty rooms for WAEC examination – fumigate the halls and the premises, use face mask, provide sanitizers and ensure that WHO rules are obeyed to the letter.
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“WAEC Law provides for a National Committee of WAEC in all the five countries. With that at the back of our minds, one would have expected that this matter should have been taken up by the National Committee of WAEC in Nigeria and the general body in Ghana before the declaration to withdraw Nigeria from taking the examination.”
The University’s administrator wondered why Nigeria had taken such hasty decision, when other four countries under the WAEC umbrella have not cancelled the WASSCE in their respective countries.
“Are the other four countries not affected by Covid-19? What steps have the other countries taken which would enable them to take WEAC examination which we cannot take? Why is Nigeria the only country out of five that is pulling out of the annual examination? Are we saying that the other four countries do not appreciate the lives of their students?
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“Why was the issue not turned over to the Nigeria body of WAEC or the general body of WAEC in Accra before the declaration of withdrawal to Nigeria? Did the Hon. Minister take into consideration the moral and legal implication of Nigeria as a signatory to WAEC laws or the effect of such unilateral declaration of withdrawal?”
He said what was required to take the WAEC examination is proper management, consultation and discussion instead of unilateral cancellation of annual international convention.
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