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TUC tasks states on payment of outstanding WAEC fees

By Yetunde Ebosele
04 August 2015   |   3:13 am
THE Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has urged state governments owing the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to effect payment promptly in order not to dampen the hopes and aspirations of candidates. President of TUC, Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and Secretary General, Musa Lawal, in a statement wondered why politicians who “promised heaven on earth”…

waecTHE Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has urged state governments owing the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to effect payment promptly in order not to dampen the hopes and aspirations of candidates.

President of TUC, Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and Secretary General, Musa Lawal, in a statement wondered why politicians who “promised heaven on earth” during their electioneering campaigns do otherwise after assuming office.

The union leaders argued that it is irrational for state governments to put candidates resident in their states at risk of having their results withheld and losing their prospects for admission into tertiary institutions of learning in the forthcoming academic year by neglecting or reneging on their pledges to pay the WAEC fees.

TUC said: “While we appeal to WAEC to stay action on its threat, we also urge the states involved to make the payments immediately. The nation cannot afford to deny over 600,000 potential students admission into various institutions at a time when we are spending billions if not trillions of naira to fight insecurity.

“An educated mind is liberated and reasonable. Thus, it pays us to educate our youths if we must build a strong nation. If we must stop running to the west for loans and grants to revive our industries every now and then, the leadership must stop paying lip service to education,” the statement noted.

Besides, the union also called on WAEC to publish names of the defaulting states and take legal action against them to serve as deterrence to such negligence in future, adding that; “After all, it is not the fault of the candidates, so they should not be made victims of the failings of their state governments.”

It therefore charged well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the state governments to come to the aid of the innocent candidates, and emphasised that, the less privileged must not be at the mercy of the privileged few. “Save the future of the leaders of tomorrow,” the statement concluded.

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