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WAEC Arrests 20 Exam Officials For Malpractice

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12 months ago

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No fewer than twenty school officials have allegedly been detained by the West African Examination Council in connection with the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination for school candidates.

The arrests, according to the Council, took place across the nation.

Mr. Patrick Areghan, the head of the council’s national office, said this while conducting a monitoring operation in a few schools on Thursday in Lagos.

He claims that the WAEC has since turned over all of the offenders to the police for legal action.

Areghan vowed that the council would do everything possible to ensure that their prosecution was followed to a logical conclusion.

“The issue of examination malpractice can no longer be treated with kid gloves.

“It is no longer business as usual, as it has completely eroded morals and values in our society. It is taking a dangerous dimension, of which, if not tackled will bring our country to its knees.

“Now, since the commencement of this examination, we have deployed our technology, designed to catch examination cheats and we are happy at the results we have gotten so far.

“For instance, in Ibadan, Oyo, where we have our zonal office, which takes care of Osun, Kwara, and Oyo itself, we made three arrests in a school and for the purpose of confidentiality, I will not mention the name.

“There, a supervisor at a center, principal, and invigilator were all arrested. They were arrested for allegedly snapping and posting the questions to some platforms, thereby, aiding and abetting examination malpractices.’’

He said: “Then, in Maiduguri, a supervisor and principal of a school, were both arrested and handed over to the police too.

“In Umuahia, a teacher and a supervisor were arrested in a particular school and they have been handed over to the police.

“In Abeokuta, a school proprietor was the first to be caught at the beginning of this examination on May 8, snapping and posting question papers,” he said.

Areghan described the act as a monumental disgrace.

The WAEC official said that the proprietor and a supervisor had since been arrested and also handed over to the police.

He further disclosed that the same situation was also recorded at

Osogbo, where a principal, invigilator, and chief supervisor were arrested for the same offense.

According to him, in Kaduna too, a supervisor and an examination official in a school who were caught in the act, were arrested and handed over to the police.

He explained that the school, which was ceded to Kaduna was supposed to be Kano, but was ceded because it was closer to Kaduna.

Areghan said that the arrests would continue until the end of the examination.

He urged candidates not to allow their future to be compromised by persons who did not wish them well, by promising to assist them pass their examination through illegal means, stressing that WAEC’s examinations could never be accessed illegally.

According to him, all of the culprits caught in the act may have been paid by the unsuspecting candidates and their parents, promising to assist them pass the examination.

“I want to counter this statement that some people are fond of making, which is that our examination questions always leak.

“That does not exist. Our examination is always safe and secured until they get to the candidates in the hall.”

He asserted that WAEC examination questions don’t ever leak and cautioned the media to stop using the word “leak”.

“What actually happens is that, once the examination is about to start, we give the question papers to the supervisors, one hour before commencement, so that they can travel from the collection point to the various schools, where they will administer the examination.

“Immediately they get to the exam hall, they will open the pack in the name of distributing to candidates and they will snap and post to various designated platforms-  WhatsApp, Instagram, and others.

“Such persons are members of a syndicate group who collect money,’’ he said.

According to him, once the examination is already in progress, anyone that takes pictures of the papers and posts will be detected.

Areghan noted that the council had a method of detecting who snapped, who posted, who it was posted to, and which candidate’s question booklet was posted.

According to him, that is when the council swings to action by rounding all of them up and subsequently handing them over to the police.

“You have been following me around for this monitoring

“You saw me telling these children that they will hardly have time to access any materials snapped and posted on any platforms because they are already in the hall writing the examination.

“From what we have seen so far today at the schools we visited, I will say that the examination has been going on smoothly. There has not been any challenge beyond our control.

“Of course, you will come across persons who will want to prove smart by cutting corners and trying to get things done unethically, but we have been able to beat them to it.

“There are though, some that we do not bother ourselves with, as we will deal with such administratively.’’

He noted that only hard work was the way out to a stable and progressive country, adding that schools should continue to stick to academic excellence and nothing less, in order to sustain quality education.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that schools visited for the monitoring on Thursday included  ST and T in Ikeja, Ikeja Senior High School as well as State Senior High School among others.

 

Credit: NAN

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BIG STORY

JUST IN: Labour Declares Indefinite Strike Over Failure To Agree On New Minimum Wage

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10 hours ago

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May 31, 2024

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which represent organised labour, have announced an indefinite strike that would start on June 3, 2024.

The Federal Government appears stubborn in its refusal to enhance the N60,000 it gave at the reopening of the tripartite committee meeting in Abuja on Friday, according to organised labour, which is why the strike has become essential.

Festus Osifo, the president of the TUC, and Joe Ajaero, the president of the NLC, jointly announced the strike.

Osifo stated, “As you are aware, we had the last meeting preceding today, which was on Tuesday. In that meeting, they (the government) offered N60,000. They invited us for a meeting today (Friday), and we deliberated on it, thinking they were showing the necessary commitment.

“To our surprise, there was no serious representation from either the Federal Government or the state governors who are supposed to be part of the negotiations.

“So, technically, we felt they have abandoned us because they remained adamant about the N60,000 offer. Not even a kobo was added to what we rightfully rejected.”

 

More to come…

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BIG STORY

Minimum Wage: Federal Government Fails To Shift Grounds As Meeting Ends In Deadlock

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10 hours ago

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May 31, 2024

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Friday’s talks on minimum wage between the Federal Government and Organised Labour hit a brick wall when the government failed to shift grounds on the N60,000 it proposed during the last meeting.

With this latest move, the organised labour comprising of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress may embark on a nationwide strike.

Recall that the NLC and TUC had given a May 31, 2024 ultimatum on the new minimum wage.

As of the time of filing this report, an emergency press briefing has been called by labour.

On Tuesday, talks between the Federal Government and organised Labour broke down after the government and organised private sector raised their offers to N60,000.

The government added N3,000 to its initial offer of N57,000 proposed last week, taking the total figure to N60,000.

It was dismissed by labour at the meeting.

At the meeting, labour again lowered its demand by removing N3,000 from the N497,000 it proposed last week, pegging the new proposal at N494,000.

To fast-track the negotiation process, the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria on May Day gave the committee till the end of the month to wrap up talks on a new national minimum wage.

That ultimatum will expire on Friday night.

The President of the TUC, Festus Osifo said the ultimatum issued by labour remained following the breakdown of talks on Tuesday.

“We have an ultimatum on May Day that if by May end, we don’t have a new minimum wage that will take a worker home, we will not be able to guarantee industrial peace.

“We are sticking to that ultimatum,” the president of the TUC, Osifo said.

President Tinubu, through vice president, Kashim Shettima, on January 30, 2024, inaugurated the 37-member tripartite committee to come up with a new minimum wage.

With its membership cutting across federal and state governments, the private sector, and organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.

Shettima, during the committee’s inauguration, urged the members to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early.

“This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima said.

He also urged collective bargaining in good faith, emphasising contract adherence and encouraging consultations outside the committee.

The 37-man committee is chaired by the former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Goni Aji.

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BIG STORY

JUST IN: 40 Out Of 92 Federal Directors Fail Permanent Secretary Qualifying Exam

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11 hours ago

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May 31, 2024

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No lesser than 40 directors failed the qualifying examination for appointment to the position of permanent secretaries.

According to The Nation, result shows that out of 92 directors who took the examination on May 27, 2024, 40 scored below 50 percent, indicating failure.

It was also gathered that three directors were absent, while one was unable to complete the exam.

A memorandum dated May 28, 2024, originating from the Office of the Head of Service, designated as “HCSF/ CMO/ AOD/012/IX/59,” disclosed that the subsequent phase of the selection procedure will involve an ICT-based assessment.

This setback occurs amidst the federal government’s efforts, channelled through the Office of the Head of Civil Service, to address prevailing and forthcoming vacancies by appointing new permanent secretaries.

The vacancies in question span various states, including Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Ondo, Zamfara, and regions within the South-East and South-South.

Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, relayed pertinent details in a circular addressed to key government figures such as the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

Yemi-Esan’s circular, dated April 19, 2024, and personally signed, outlined eligibility criteria, stressing that only directors who attained substantive director status by January 1, 2022, qualify for consideration.

The circular specified the initiation of the process for appointing Permanent Secretaries, emphasizing the importance of adhering to eligibility criteria, updating records on the IPPIS Verification Portal, and maintaining a clean disciplinary record.

The circular, referenced as “HCSF/CMO/AOD/012/IX/24,” stated: “Following the approval of Mr. President, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is initiating the process for appointing Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service for current and anticipated vacancies in Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Ondo, Zamfara states, South-East, and South-South geo-political zones, where current Permanent Secretaries have retired or will retire between April and September 2024.”

Eligibility criteria outlined in the memo include having reached the position of substantive Director on Salary Grade Level 17 by January 1, 2022, updating records on the IPPIS Verification Portal, being from the specified states or geopolitical zones, and not retiring before December 31, 2025.

Additionally, officers currently undergoing disciplinary procedures are excluded from the selection process.

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