In what may come as a big surprise to most people, no fewer than 15 persons recently returned certificates issued to them by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). They said they had to give up the certificates because they cheated during the examination, and now as Born Again Christians, they could not live with “the sin.”

Saturday Sun, which reported the story, said the affected individuals had approached WAEC through letters seeking restitution after they had confessed how they dubiously acquired their certificates when they wrote the examinations at various periods.

“The council wrote back to them, stating that what they were expected to do was to return the certificates awarded in line with the rules and regulations guiding the conduct of the examinations. However, only few responded, including a holder of Teachers’ Grade 11 certificate,” the report said, adding:

“It was learnt that those who complied with the directive returned their certificates to various WAEC offices nationwide and the council took their case to the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), which, at its 55th meeting in Lagos, cancelled the returned 15 certificates.”

According to the council’s letter to NEC quoted by Saturday Sun, “the listed candidates, in their letters of restitution, confessed that they were involved in various forms of examination malpractices in various years as indicated against their numbers. They have returned the original certificates issued to them.’’

The report said the returned certificates by the Born Again Christians were for both the May/June (school exam) and November/December (private candidate) West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

A breakdown of the year the examinations were taken revealed that the oldest dates back to June 1983 with certificate no SG 288999. Next is June 1990 (RS0680084c), June 1992 (NGSS 0994156), June 1995 (NGSS0265147) and December 1995 (NGSP 0169397), December 1996 (NGSP 0575264), December 2000 (NGWASSCP 038771), June 2001 (NGWASSCS 2451037).

Others are June 2002, two certificates with NGWASSCP 4100224 and NGWASSCS 3894794 were returned and cancelled, June 2003 (NGWASSCS 5009313), June 2006 two born again Christians returned certificates with NGWASSCP 7747466 and NGWASSCS 8423755, December 2008 (NGWASSCP 05790031) and June 2010 NGWASSCP 13327157.

Saturday Sun said efforts to get the names, and perhaps pictures, of the 15 persons were abortive, as WAEC officials said it would amount to violation of the rights of the individuals involved and that of their (officials) ethics.

•Photo shows candidates in an exam hall.

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