Authority of the National Office of the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) in Nigeria has announced the cancellation and withdrawal of certificates earlier issued to 138 candidates nationwide between 1976 to 2017.
WAEC in a publication listed the names and years of candidates involved in various malpractices that spanned a period of 42 years.
Details of the publication showed that 96 candidates that wrote the November/December private candidate examination had their results cancelled and certificates were withdrawn while 42 were for the May/June school examination.
According to the publication, a total of 93 candidates found guilty of impersonation had their results and certificates withdrawn while another 42 candidates involving cases of restitution also suffered the same fate.
A note in the publication read: “The certificates of the candidates listed below were impounded at the Zonal/branch offices while issuing certificates. They made confessional statements to the effect that they were impersonated in the various examinations indicated against them. The certificates have been returned by the offices concerned to the post-examination department for presentation and subsequent cancellation”.
The regional examination body added: “The general public is hereby informed that the council has cancelled the results of each of the candidates listed above and their certificates have been withdrawn”.
It would be recalled that WAEC had during a summit on examination malpractice attended by stakeholders from the ministries of education, principals of secondary schools, parents, teachers and civil societies from the Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone in Lagos called for a revised of regulations governing examination and application of stiffer sanctions to offenders to serve as deterrent to others.
Such measures also include the establishment of special courts to enforce dormant laws on examination malpractice among others.