House of Rep Grills WAEC Over ₦6 Billion Deficit and ₦5 Billion Loan for Calculators

The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies on Tuesday questioned the Head of the National Office of the West African Examination Council Nigeria (WAEC), Josiah Dangut, over a ₦6 billion deficit incurred by the agency in 2023 during an investigative hearing.

The committee also scrutinized the ₦5 billion loan WAEC obtained in 2022 for the purchase of customized calculators.

Dangut, accompanied by WAEC Registrar Angus Okeleze, Senior Deputy Registrar Victor Odu, Acting Director of Finance Segun Jerumeh, and Deputy Director of Finance, presented the agency’s cashbook. However, the committee rejected it, demanding the submission of WAEC’s bank statements instead.

Expressing dissatisfaction with WAEC’s responses, the committee directed the agency to submit all bank statements from 2018 to the present within a week. Committee member Awaji-Inombek Abiante criticized WAEC for being uncooperative, stressing the need for greater accountability.

The committee also expressed concern over WAEC’s financial management, questioning how the agency generated ₦34 billion in 2023 but spent ₦40 billion. They demanded explanations for the ₦6 billion deficit, details on the ₦5 billion loan approval, and the expenditure related to the customized calculators.

The committee insisted on receiving all related documentation, including evidence of approval for the ₦5 billion loan and records of student participation in the 2022 examinations.