Why states are owing WAEC fees – Yari

The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Governor Abdulazeez Yari of Zamfara State, today said the inability of some state governments to ascertain the total amount of money involved was responsible for their current face-off with the West African Examination Council.
WAEC had threatened to withhold the results of candidates in 19 states who wrote the May/June 2015 WASSCE following unpaid examination fees by the state governments.
Yari, who said his state was also involved in the matter, attributed the situation to a mix up.
He said there was need for some of the affected states to verify the figure before payment.

The governor said discussion would be held with WAEC with a view to resolving the impasse.
He said, “You see, including my own state, we are in that trouble. But the reason we are in that trouble is because we cannot ascertain the exact figure, which one is for the public, which one is for the private. It is a mix up.
“Some state governments need to verify between the WAEC and their ministries of education and other departments of education. So, that’s why some states cannot pay.
“And yes of course, some states are giving free education. Those WAEC monies are not being paid by the parents. It is being sponsored by the government like ours.
“The first primary to be charged I think is the salaries. If the states cannot pay salaries, how much more about other secondary expenses. So therefore, there is no surprise that some states cannot be able to do that, to  pay their dues.
“But I think it’s something that we will discuss with some of the governors concerned and WAEC so that we will be able to know how this thing should not happen because of the future of our children.”
On the bailout being planned for states by the Federal Government, Yari said the gesture would prevent some states from becoming failed states.
He said the Federal Government could not fold its hands while states were in trouble.
“The actual thing is that we have a problem and there is no two ways about it, the Federal Government has to come to the rescue of the states or else, you have a failed state. The Federal Government cannot fold its arms and the states will be in trouble,” he said.
Yari also explained that states whose shares of the NLNG tax were confiscated by banks were debtor-states.
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