The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has issued a formal apology to candidates and the general public following the discovery of technical issues in the recently released results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, for School Candidates (SC) 2025.

In a statement released yesterday by the Acting Head of Public Affairs at WAEC headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, Moyosola Adesina, the Council acknowledged that measures were implemented to combat examination malpractice, which included a new innovation known as paper serialisation.

This method, already utilised by a national examination body, was applied to key subjects such as Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics.

However, an internal review conducted post-results release uncovered unexpected technical bugs affecting the accuracy of the scores.

In response, WAEC announced that access to the results would be temporarily suspended on the result checker portal to address and rectify the technical glitches.

The Council emphasised its commitment to fairness and professionalism, vowing to resolve the issues with transparency and urgency within the next 24 hours.

WAEC expressed deep regret for any inconvenience caused to the affected candidates, urging those who have already checked their results to do so again after the 24-hour period for updated information.

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our candidates and the public as we work diligently to correct this matter,” WAEC said.

“WAEC remains steadfast in its mission to uphold excellence, fairness, and transparency in all our assessment processes,” the statement added.

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Engr. Abdullahi Garba Ramat as the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The President also appointed Mr. Abubakar Yusuf as Commissioner for Consumer Affairs and Dr. Fouad Olayinka Animashun as Commissioner for Finance and Management Services at the regulatory agency.

All nominations are subject to Senate confirmation.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, yesterday.

The statement read in part, “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Engr. Abdullahi Garba Ramat as the new Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Engr Ramat, 39, is an electrical engineer and administrator, with a PhD in Strategic Management, among other qualifications.

“President Tinubu also nominated two commissioners for the NERC. They are Mr Abubakar Yusuf, Commissioner of Consumer Affairs and Dr Fouad Olayinka Animashun, Commissioner of Finance and Management Services. All nominations are subject to Senate confirmation.”

The presidency also said, “However, to avoid a leadership vacuum in the critical regulatory agency, the President directed that Engr. Ramat assumes office in acting capacity pending his screening by the Senate, as stipulated by the law.

“President Tinubu urged the new appointees to use their knowledge and experience to discharge their functions and work assiduously to advance the administration’s power sector vision.”

A former Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Rivers State, Comrade Evans Obele Olunwa, has described the alleged existence of a parallel Community Development Committee in Amadi Ama community, Port Harcourt, as false.

Olunwa claimed that he is the bonafide CDC chairman of the community, saying the rumours about the purported CDC leadership crisis in the community was a figment of some persons’ imagination.

He said he was inaugurated as the CDC chairman of the community in October 2024, and well recognized by the  state government, adding that a letter authorizing his recognition was signed by the then Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Engr. Charles Amadi.

According to him, the commissioner could not have signed for two persons to be CDC chairmen at the same time.

Olunwa said since his inauguration, he has not seen any court order or court judgement restraining him or his predecessors from parading as chairman of the Amadi Ama community Development Committee chairman.

The embattled CDC chairman who spoke with The Tide in an interview in Port Harcourt, also denied defrauding the community, stressing that since his assumption of duty, he has not received a dime on behalf of the community.

He called on his detractors to show proof that he defrauded the community.

“I’m the CDC Chairman, I’m recognised by the Rivers State Government.

“Every CDC in Rivers State is recognised by the Rivers State Government. My predecessors, I believe, they have shown you the documents through the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Community Affairs.

“The Commissioner signed my own documents. The Commissioner actually would not have signed two CDC letters in Amadi Ama community

“As far as I’m concerned, I’ve not seen any court judgment against me or against any of my predecessors. No judgment.

“Let me tell you. I’m a citizen of Amadi Ama community I’m a freeborn of Amadi Ama community.

“I have my fundamental human rights given to me by my community. The regent, chiefs and elders nominated me as a CDC chairman.

“I’ve not seen any court document telling me that Evans Obele Olunwa should not parade as a chairman,” he said.

Olunwa further claimed that he was a great grandchild of one of the founders of Amadi Ama community, and sole signatory to the 1913 agreement which made Amadi Ama a part of Port Harcourt city.

Also speaking to The Tide, Barrister Solomon Iringe Koko, a chief of Amadi Ama community, said the community has no crisis as far as the issue of CDC is concerned.

He claimed that the CDC of Amadi Ama is rotational, saying that it is now the turn of Olunwa compound to produce the CDC.

Koko said the immediate past CDC chairman, Chief Okwein George Parker, comes from Amadi compound  and cannot hand over to Mr. Nelson Amadi who also comes from Amadi compound who, according to him, illegally parades himself as Chairman of Kala-Ogoloma CDC which does not exist in Amadi Ama Community.

Also speaking with our correspondent, Chief Parker who was the immediate past CDC Chairman in the community, said no court restrained either him or his successor from parading as CDC chairman.

He urged the public to discountenance any reports of a parallel CDC in Amadi Ama community.

 John Bibor