The West African Examinations Council on Thursday celebrated the best students in the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination with the presentation of prizes.
The student, Victory Yinka-Banjo with No 4252067/039, from Princeton, a college in Aguda, Surulere Lagos, came first. She scored A1 in her subjects and her total score is 606.3196.
Adebowale Dorcas Ayooluwa of Emerald Laurel Comprehensive College, Ibadan came second. She also had A1 in all her subjects with a total score of 601.2198.
Also, Nwaozuzu Confidence Chinaza of Total Education Development Academy, Eke-Owerri, Abia State came third. She also scored distinctions in all her subjects with a total score of 599.605.
The mother of the first prize winner, Dr Chika Yinka-Banjo, said in an interview with journalists that her daughter was unable to attend the event because she is presently studying Computational Biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America. She said the girl won 19 full scholarships abroad and had to choose one.
Adebowale and Nwaozuzu attributed their good performance to hard work and thanked their teachers, parents and God for allowing them to excel.
The Chairman, Nigeria National Committee of WAEC, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, said in her address that the winners of 2020 are all females, saying this showed that ‘what a man can do, a woman can do better.’
She said the council was exploring the opportunities in Information and Computer Technology to improve its services and to make it impossible for unscrupulous persons to falsify its certificates.
Abdukadir said despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and insecurity in the country, the council was able to conduct examinations, adding that the council was doing everything possible to curb examination malpractices.
Also, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who was represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Olawale Abdulmojeed, said his administration would continue to support every effort of the council to curb malpractices.
Makinde said, “I wish to assure you that my administration will support any initiative embarked upon by the Council, which is aimed at improving its services and maintaining the integrity of the certificates it awards to candidates.
“I am aware that WAEC has continued to record landmark achievements, particularly taking advantage of developments in Information and Communication Technology. I must congratulate this Committee and the management of the Council on both your Internet-based innovations such as your result-checking and result verification facilities, registration platforms for both your school and private candidates’ examinations, the embossment of candidates’ photographs on their certificates to check impersonation.
“The e-marking of scripts of your candidates and most recently, the deployment of the Electronic Certificate Management System (E-CERTMAN) which is an online portal designed to enable Private Candidates to request for their certificate online and collect same at choice locations.
“Noteworthy also is the “WAEC Verify”, an online portal that enables Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Organizations to check the authenticity of candidates’ certificates, thereby eliminating certificate forgery and racketeering.”
