We can authoritatively confirm that the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has completed the renovation of her Calabar office, destroyed during last year’s EndSars protest and will officially open the office today in a ceremony that has attracted senior officials of the regional examinations body to the state.
However, there are mixed feelings that promises made by state governor, Ben Ayade, on November 2, 2020, while inspecting the office, shortly after it was vandalized, have remained unfulfilled. The governor had at the visit directed his Education commissioner, Godwin Amanke, to seek out temporary accommodation for WAEC, while also directing that a truck be immediately provided WAEC, while he renovates the office. We reliably gathered that while officials of WAEC entered into written official communication with the governor, they got no replies, several months after the governor mouthed his promises.
“It was very frustrating going back and forth to the governor’s office and being redirected to see the Education commissioner, all to no avail. We had thought that because of the magnitude of destruction that awed even the governor and the body language he displayed during that visit, he will match words to action, it just didn’t happen and it was really disappointing. It became insult to injury when no explanations were offered us and sincerely this was a very insensitive posture, but all of that is behind us now and you can see that the office is back up, to the glory of God”, a WAEC official who does not want his name in print, told www.calitown.com
While Education commissioner, Godwin Amanke, had shortly after the governor’s promises, confirmed to www.calitown.com that he had directives from the governor to secure temporary accommodation for WAEC, it became clear as the weeks progressed that the promises will not be kept as nothing concrete was on the ground. Amanke, not easily given to public communication and commentary, has so far offered no further explanations.
But while some government officials have maintained that WAEC has fat enough resources to fund the renovation of the office, there is public agreement on this as well as a largely held opinion that Ayade should not have committed himself to promises he was never going to keep.
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