The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies grilled the Head of the National Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) Nigeria, Josiah Dangut, over a N6 billion deficit incurred by the agency in 2023 during an investigative hearing held on Tuesday.
Advertorial
The committee also questioned the N5 billion loan WAEC obtained in 2022 to purchase customized calculators.
Dangut was accompanied by the WAEC Registrar, Angus Okeleze, along with other senior officials from the examination body.
During the hearing, Dangut presented the agency’s cashbook to the committee, but it was rejected.
Advertorial
The committee insisted that WAEC must submit its bank statements from 2018 to the present within a week.
Committee member Awaji-Inombek Abiante criticized WAEC for being uncooperative and stressed the importance of accountability.
He expressed concern that WAEC had only provided one of the eight submissions requested by the committee, hindering the investigation into their expenditures.
Advertorial
The committee expressed dissatisfaction with WAEC’s financial management, noting that while the agency generated N34 billion in 2023, it spent N40 billion.
They also questioned the approval process for the N5 billion loan, noting that such an amount would typically require higher-level approval.
The committee demanded a detailed account of the expenditures that led to the N6 billion deficit and all correspondence related to the purchase of the customized calculators.
Advertorial
They also insisted on receiving evidence of due process in the awarding of contracts, payment records, and bank statements.
Furthermore, the committee requested evidence of WAEC’s compliance with financial regulations, particularly concerning a contract for the construction of its Taraba State office, for which 50 percent of the contract sum, amounting to N532 million, was paid upfront.
Dangut requested additional time to provide the necessary documents and explained that the upfront payment for the Taraba office was made to avoid cost increases due to inflation.
The committee chair emphasized that both the legislative body and WAEC are bound by the Constitution and that full cooperation from WAEC, including the timely submission of all required documents, is expected to facilitate the investigation.
