HoR queries WAEC over N6bn deficit

By Tom Okpe

The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies, has queried Head, National Office, West African Examination Council, WAEC, Nigeria, Josiah Dangut, over a N6 billion deficit, the agency incurred in 2023.

Dangut was accompanied by the Registrar; Angus Okeleze, Senior Deputy Registrar; Victor Odu, Acting Director of Finance; Segun Jerumeh, Deputy Director of Finance, WAEC to the House Public Investigative Hearing at the National Assembly, Abuja, Wednesday.

The Committee also grilled the examination body over a loan of N5 billion it got in 2022 for the purchase of customised calculators.

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Following unsatisfactory response by the WAEC Representatives, the Committee Chairman, Rep Oboku Abonisizibe Ofirji resolved that WAEC must submit all its bank statements from 2018 to date, within a week.

A member of the Committee, Rep Awaji Inombek also, described WAEC as uncooperative, saying they must be held accountable.

“WAEC Nigeria was an uncooperative witness in this process, shielding and denying Nigerians of having value for whatever investment the country has had in that office. They should submit to this Committee in furtherance of this investigation all the bank account statements of his office,” he said.

The Committee Chairman further said WAEC has to explain how it generated N34 billion in 2023 but spent N40 billion, wondering how the examination body could approve a loan of up to N5 billion, when even a Ministerial Board could not approve such amount.

He queried the WAEC Head on the number of student that participated in the 2022 elections, who got the acclaimed, purchased calculators.

The Committee demanded that WAEC must provide the expenditures that led to the N6 billion deficits and all correspondences, related to the purchase of customised calculators.

It said evidence of approval for the N5 billion loan to purchase the customized calculators must be provided.

The Committee also demanded for evidence of due process followed for the award of the contract as well as evidence of payment, including payment vouchers and bank records, demanding for evidence of submission of accounts to the Auditor General for the Federation from 2018 to 2023

It also demanded the profile of the external auditor for the agency and the engagement letters for the past three years.

The Committee also queried WAEC for breaching the financial, public procurement and the financial regulations Acts over the payment of 50 percent of the contract for the construction of its Taraba state office worth N532 million.

Dangut however, pleaded with the lawmakers to give him another date to enable him present the statement of account and other documents, demanded.

The committee Chairman, Oboku stressed that the Committee is not for witch-hunting but, focused on fulfilling its constitutional obligations, as outlined in the constitution of the Federal Republic.