Exactly a week ago, News Express reported that no fewer than 15 persons recently returned certificates issued to them by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), saying 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.”

Latest reports, however, indicate that the practice is more widespread than was previously evident. The practice, according to a report this morning in Saturday PUNCH, has become “common” and WAEC now “files for such requests as it is almost a routine exercise.”

The paper quoted a report presented before the 56th meeting of the Nigeria Examination Council in Lagos in November 2013 in which “WAEC reported 256 cases of restitution for certificate cancellation approval by the council.”

Saturday PUNCH quoted Deputy Director, Public Affairs, WAEC, Mr. Yusuf Ari, as saying that the 256 cases were just the ones the examination body got between April and November 2013.

Ari was quoted as saying: “The NEC, which is the highest policy making body of WAEC, which deliberates on everything that has to do with examination, meets twice in a year – April and November.

“We report cases of restitution at every meeting of the NEC. The 256 we reported at the 56th meeting in November is the number of restitution cases we got since the last meeting in April. So you can imagine how many cases we get every year.

“It is a routine matter here. It is very common to get requests from such born-again Christians, who are usually from a particular Pentecostal church I won’t like to name. The individuals come to our office or write letters. Some of those who come even start crying. They say they cheated and they have decided to return their certificates because they are now born-again.”

Saturday PUNCH quoted another source at WAEC as disclosing that most of such born again Christians come from Deeper Life.

•Photo shows students in an exam hall.

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