Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, has settled all outstanding debts owed examination bodies by previous administrations in the state, a development that has led to the release of withheld results of students who sat for SSCE spanning five years.
Previous governments in the state failed to pay fees to the National Examinations Council (NECO) from 2014 to 2018 and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) from 2018 to 2022.
A statement by the spokesman of the state governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris yesterday said Governor Dauda Lawal had settled the debts and consequently the examination bodies had released all results withheld from 2018 to 2022.
The statement added that the present government’s effort to settle the outstanding debts was part of a broader strategy in line with Governor Lawal’s declaration of a state of emergency on education.
The statement said, “The non-payment of fees for WAEC and NECO has caused a significant setback for public schools throughout Zamfara State, continually placing Zamfara at the bottom of educational indices across Nigeria.
“Recognising the issues within the education system, Governor Lawal declared a state of emergency in education in November 2023, a decision producing positive results for the educational sector in Zamfara State.
“More than 500 schools have been renovated and equipped since the emergency declaration. Public teachers have been trained and are undergoing retraining.
“The swift payment of the outstanding debt to WAEC and NECO has relieved the stranded Zamfara students, who completed their final exams but could not proceed due to the examination bodies withholding their results.”
