A member of the House of Representatives for Ikwo/Ezza South federal constituency, Hon Chinedu Ogah, has cleared the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration fees of 1,007 students from Ikwo and Ezza South local government areas of Ebonyi State.
Hon Ogah, who is the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions said 507 of the students are WAEC candidates while 500 will sit for JAMB examination.
He said the students cut across 31 public schools and 29 private schools within the constituency adding that all the students who have already paid the WAEC and JAMB fees before now would be refunded their money as he has already offset the bills.
Ogah said the gesture is to complement the effort of the state governor, Francis Nwifuru who last week announced the payment of WAEC fees of all the students in the state adding that many vulnerable and brilliant students have been forced to drop out of school because of inability to pay WAEC and JAMB fees.
“I Hon Chinedu Ogah on behalf of my foundation and in complementing the effort of the Ebonyi State Governor, Rt. Hon Francis Nwifuru presented this cheque of N13.6million as WAEC fee for 507 students in the State,” he said.
He noted that his foundation, Chiboy Foundation commenced the payment of WAEC fees of students in the state 15 years ago and stressed the need for other well to do individuals to emulate the gesture as education will take many of the students hawking along the streets out of the road.
In his address, the state governor represented by the state commissioner for education, Prof Paul Nwobashi, said the statistics by the state puts the total number of students expected to take the WAEC examination at 15,000, adding that the total budget for the payment stands at N1.2 billion.
He warned students against examination malpractice and other acts capable of jeopardising their academic pursuit and emphasised the need for them to justify the money spent by the lawmaker on them.
In their reaction, the controller, West Africa Examination Council, WAEC, Abakaliki branch, Mrs Gloria Mgbike and the state coordinator of JAMB, Mrs Doris Enock, said the lawmaker paid N13.6 million for 507 students and N3.7 million for JAMB candidates amounting to N16.7 million.
