After years of delays and dashed hopes, thousands of students in Zamfara State can now access their long-awaited Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) results, thanks to the intervention of Governor Dauda Lawal, who has begun settling outstanding debts owed to WAEC and NECO by previous administrations.
In a statement released on Saturday, the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, confirmed that payments amounting to over ₦2.7 billion have been made to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), resulting in the release of previously withheld results spanning from 2014 to 2022.
“This is part of the government’s emergency measures to revive education in Zamfara,” the statement said. “₦1.4 billion has been paid to WAEC, and over ₦320 million to NECO, with a structured plan in place to clear the remaining arrears dating back to 2014.”
The development follows the state government’s declaration of a state of emergency on education in November 2023, under which over 500 schools have since been renovated and teacher retraining initiatives launched.
As a result of the debt repayment, Zamfara students were able to sit for the 2024 WAEC, having missed the 2023 edition due to the state’s inability to meet payment obligations.
NECO, in response, confirmed receipt of the payments and has agreed to release results withheld from 2014 to 2018, pending full settlement of the balance.
Education stakeholders and families across the state have welcomed the move, describing it as “a long-overdue lifeline” for students whose academic and career progress had been stalled for nearly a decade.
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