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WAEC Lauds RSG’s Anti-Exams Malpractice Policy …Releases Nov/Dec Results
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has commended the Rivers State Government in its pragmatic steps towards the eradication of examination mal-practices in public examinations in the state.
WAEC in its 48th Annual Nigeria National Committee meeting in Kaduna recently noted with satisfaction the effort of the state governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, through the Education Ministry to reduce the rate of examination malpractices in the state.
Arguing that it was on record that the number of candidates who registered for WAEC, SSEC in the state dropped from 81,612 in 2009/2010 to just 43,757 and attributed the excess to over registration with the intention of indulging in examination malpractice.
In 2008, according to WAEC, the number of registered candidates was 97,316 as against 81,612 in 2009, while in 2010, this figure further dropped to 43,757.
The council explained that the effort of the state government in tackling exam malpractices was yielding positive results, and advised the state Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence Nemi never to be deterred by the activities of kingpins of examination malpractices. It noted that the elimination of external candidates in the last examination by the state Ministry of Education was a step in the right direction.
Commenting on office accommodation provided by the state government to WAEC in the state, the National Council expressed appreciation to the Governor for approving a befitting alternative office accommodation to WAEC in Port Harcourt.
Responding, the state Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence Nemi expressed the appreciation of the state government to WAEC’s National Council for appreciating the humble efforts of Governor Amaechi in eradicating examination malpractices in the state, insisting that the present administration had zero tolerance for examination mal-practice.
The Commissioner who was represented by the Director of Secondary Education, Mrs Stella Wigwe advised candidates, principals, supervisors and invigilators to have a re-think in indulging in the social vice, as the state ministry of education would consistently introduce measures that would curtail the menace to the barest minimum. She also advised candidates to imbibe the culture of hardwork and self discipline in their academic pursuits.
Meanwhile, only 20.04 per cent or 62,295 candidates obtained credit pass in English, Mathematics and three other subjects in the Nov./Dec. 2010 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The Head of the Nigerian National Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Dr Iyi Uwadiae during a press conference yesterday in Lagos said the result was not impressive.
He said 310, 077 candidates sat for the examination while the results of 51,876 of them, representing 16.73 per cent, were withheld for involvement in examination malpractices.
“A total of 133,507 candidates (43.06 per cent) obtained credit and above in English Language, while 151,569 candidates (48.88 per cent) obtained credit and above in Mathematics,” he said.
Uwadiae told journalists that 33 blind candidates took the examination and only 4 of them got credit passes in five subjects including English Language.
Blind candidates, however, are exempted by regulation from registering for Mathematics and science-based subjects.
“All the reports on cases of involvement in examination malpractice have been compiled for presentation to the Nigerian Examination Committee of the Council in March,” he said.
Uwadiae said that the result was released two weeks ahead of schedule to enable students who had secured admissions in higher institutions to register.
He said WAEC would soon modernise its examination model to the e-testing format (electronic test) but noted that the process was at its experimental stage.
“The quick release of the result is due to the commitment of the markers and the effective application of our new computer software for processing results,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.