Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of the Nigeria National Office West African Examinations Council, has made a request for exemption from the organized labour strike.
His reason for making this request is to ensure that the council can conduct the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination without any disturbance.
The ongoing WASSCE started on April 30 and will end on June 24, 2024.
The organised labour had declared a nationwide strike, which began on Monday, June 3, 2024, over the Federal Government’s refusal to raise the proposed minimum wage from N60,000.
In an interview with newsmen in Lagos on Monday, Dangut stated that the Council sympathises with Nigerian workers but stressed that denying applicants the ability to write and complete the ongoing WASSCE would put them at a global disadvantage.
“You and I are facing a difficult situation. We appreciate the suffering everyone is going through. The state of the country is known to all; it is indeed pathetic. At WAEC, we are not isolated from these challenges.
“Today, we talk about globalisation. If our children do not write the exams to fit into a global scenario, they will be at a major disadvantage. Our cause is just—workers are asking for improvements in their conditions.
“Unfortunately, the world will not understand the problems we are facing if we don’t allow our children to write their exams. If our children miss their exams while others in different parts of the country do not, will anyone give them admission because there was a strike?” he said.
He urged all stakeholders to provide an enabling atmosphere to guarantee that the exams run smoothly and the country successfully conducts the WASSCE.
READ MORE: WAEC To Go Ahead With Exam Despite NLC Strike
Dangut said, “Let us allow our children to take the exams so they can compete with other children worldwide. We share the pains of the workers, but for the sake of our children, we must allow them to write the exams. We are appealing to the public for the sake of these children. Let us not compound their problems.
“Please, let’s allow them to write the exams. If the teacher who is supposed to open the exam hall doesn’t come, or if the gatekeeper refuses to open the gate, it is an appeal to help these children.
“We have a mandate to conduct exams and we are prepared, but we need an enabling environment,” he said.
