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Tunbosun Ogundare – Lagos
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) International has said a total of 2,276,112 candidates sat its 2022 May/June senior school certificate examination (WASSCE) across its five member countries, namely: Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia and Nigeria.
It has also announced and rewarded the best three candidates among them with WAEC International Excellence Awards at its recent 71st annual general meeting held in Banju, the capital of Gambia.
A 17-year-old Nigerian female student of St Paul’s Academy, Jos, Plateau State, Miss Chioma Blessing Obidigbo came third in the exam while the duo of Masters Alex Opoku Manu and Benjamin Eyram Nana Kwame Degbey, both 18-year-old Ghanaians from the same school, St James Seminary Senior High School, emerged overall best and second-best, respectively.
Over 1.6 million (representing about 70 percent) of the entire candidates, who sat the exam in the sub-region are from Nigeria alone. And Chioma, who wants to study medicine and surgery, scored 9As in her subjects in the exam.
The head of public affairs of WAEC International, Mr Demianus Ojijeogu, made this disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen in Nigeria, on Monday.
He said the Augustus Bandele Oyediran Award for the Best candidate also in the exam in the sub-region went to a Ghanaian student, Master Alex Opoku Manu, while the Distinguished Friend of Council Award was conferred on Mr Karamo Bojang, a Gambian, at the event.
However, addressing the audience at the event, the President of Gambia, Mr Adama Barrow, commended WAEC for what he called its exemplary service to citizens of the sub-region and also for its sustenance against all odds for the past 71 years of its establishment.
The president, who also lauded the organisation for various measures deplore to fight exam malpractice in member countries, urged stakeholders to join hands with the exam bodies to fight the menace across member countries.
In his own remarks, the chairman of WAEC, Prof. Ato Essuman, gave kudos to governments of WAEC member countries, saying their commitments have greatly helped the council in achieving its mandate.
He urged the countries not to rest on their oars.
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