July 31, 2015 – The Trade Union Congress(TUC) has called on states owing the West African Examination Council(WAEC) cummulative sum of N4 billion to pay up the debt.
The affected state incured the debt through sponsorship of candidates for the 2014 WAEC but refused to pay forcing the agency to withhold results of the affected students.
In a press statement signed by its president, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and Secretary General, Comrade Musa Lawal, the congress wondered why politicians who promised heaven on earth during their electioneering campaigns do otherwise after assuming office.
The congress noted that it is irrationale for state governments to put the affected students at risk of not gaining admission into tertiary institutions due to this huge debt.
“While we appeal to WAEC to stay action on its threat, we also urge the states involved to make the payments immediately. The nation cannot afford to deny over 600,000 potential students admission into various institutions at a time when we are spending billions if not trillions of naira to fight insecurity. An educated mind is liberated and reasonable. Thus it pays us to educate our youths if we must build a strong nation. If we must stop running to the west for loans and grants to revive our industries every now and then, the leadership must stop paying lip service to education,” the statement noted.
The TUC called on WAEC to publish names of the defaulting states and take legal action against them to serve as deterrence to such negligence in future. “After all it is not the fault of the candidates, so they should not be made victims of the failings of their state governments.”
The Congress charged well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the state governments to come to the aid of the innocent candidates.
