The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has raised concerns over mounting debts owed by several state governments, warning that the results of candidates sponsored by such states may be withheld if the arrears are not cleared.

Speaking after a press conference in Lagos, the Head of WAEC National Office in Nigeria, Mr. Charles Eguridu, revealed that 19 states of the federation are indebted to the Council to the tune of about four billion Naira. He explained that the debt covers examination entry fees for government-sponsored candidates in the May/June 2014 and 2015 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Eguridu noted that the situation has left the Council cash-trapped, struggling to meet its financial obligations despite efforts to improve examination processes through the deployment of proper technology to curb malpractice. “We have written to the affected state governments without any response. The poor response of the debtor states is threatening the smooth operations of the Council,” he lamented.

The WAEC chief appealed to state governments to urgently settle their outstanding fees, stressing that the Council could not guarantee the release of results for their candidates alongside others in the 2015 WASSCE. “We therefore want to publicly plead with the affected states to off-set the registration fees of their candidates as soon as possible,” Eguridu stated.