By GABRIEL DIKE

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Who is the WAEC best candidate in Nigeria in the 2011 May/June WASSCE? Is it 17-year-old Miss Tolulope Falokun, of St. Louis Secondary School, Akure, Ondo State, that is now being widely celebrated by her state government? Or, 17-year-old Miss Christianah Opeyemi Adeloye, of Charis International College, Abeokuta, Ogun State, that was given the award recently by WAEC?


L-R Vice President Sambo, congratulating Christianah after receiving her award while others watch with keen interest


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This is the million-dollar question that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the Ondo State Government and St. Louis Secondary School, Ondo will need to provide answers to as Nigerians and stakeholders wait to know who among the students mentioned actually emerged the best candidate in the 2011 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

As things stand now, the two former students are all laying claim to being Nigeria’s best candidate in the 2011 WASSCE. Going by the claim of Falokun’s school and of Ondo State government, Falokun, was declared the best candidate in the 2011 WASSCE after she made A1 in nine papers. This was made known through a letter believed to have been sent to them by WAEC.

This is curious because that international honour was recently publicly bestowed by WAEC on 19-year-old Ann Abena Sakyi from Ghana, who is said to have recorded A1 in eight subjects. She was closely followed by another Ghanaian candidate, 17-year-old Hameed Irbaz, who clinched the second position while the third position went to 17-year-old Christianah Adeloye, from Ilesa, Osun State but she went to school in Abeokuta.

The Ondo State Government had, last week, rolled out the drum to celebrate the feat recorded by Miss Falokun and did that to the point of inviting her to ride together with the state Commissioner of Education, Mr. Remi Olatubora, in the same official vehicle to the reception held in her honour on her former school premises, for making the state proud with A1 in nine subjects. In addition, she was awarded scholarship to study law at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

The school authority claimed in some media reports, which was corroborated by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, that WAEC lauded the state on the emergence of Miss Falokun as the best candidate in the sub region and Nigeria in the 2011 WASSCE. It did this, he said, through a firm it appointed to handle the selection, one Midas Global Associates, based in Egbeda, Lagos, which had earlier requested for the curriculum vitae of Falokun.

In the May/June 2011 WASSCE, Falokun, with examination number, 4291602/084, was said to have recorded A1 in nine subjects, namely Christian Religious Knowledge, Economics, Government, Literature in English, English Language, Yoruba Language, Mathematics, Agricultural Science, and Biology, with a total score (T-score) of 742.6992.

However, Adeloye, who was honoured with the National Distinction/Merit Award at the Abuja ceremony last month by WAEC was said to have made A1 in eight subjects, namely Economics, Geography, English Language, Yoruba Language, Mathematics, Agriculture Science, Biology and Physics with a T-score of 682.3283.

For emerging Nigeria’s best candidate in eight subjects, including Mathematics and English Language, she got a presidential handshake from Vice President Namadi Sambo, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, on the occasion. Not only that, her school, Charis International College, was presented with Omo N’Oba Erediauwa trophy for producing “the best female candidate in 2011 WASSCE.”

More curious still is the fact that the second position in the national category went to another female candidate, 17-year-old Miss Iyeyinka Omigbodun, formerly of Loiusville Girls High School, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State, who was said to have had A1 in eight subjects, namely, Literature-in-English, English Language, Yoruba Language, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Agricultural Science, Chemistry and Physics. With examination number 4280811/075, her T-Score was 680.9797. The third position went to 18-year-old Miss Kanayo Uduani Nwigbo from Ebonyi State. With examination number 4250418/198 and a T-Score of 675.2813, she had A1 in eight subjects, namely English Language, Geography, Mathematics, Agricultural Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

In none of these was the name of Falokun ever mentioned. Many people are beginning to wonder what happened. There must be some foul play somewhere they said but the question is, where?

The celebration of Falokun’s feat by the Ondo State Government and her school was cut short by WAEC, which insisted that it had no record of her being the best candidate in Nigeria or in the sub-region. Daily Sun learnt that the Head of National Office (HNO), Dr. Iyi Uwadiae, held a meeting last Wednesday at the end of which the examination body resolved to put the record straight.

Reacting to the celebration of Falokun in a telephone conversation with Daily Sun, the Deputy Director, Public Affairs of WAEC, Mr. Yusuf Ari, hinted that WAEC would investigate to know how the school and the state arrived at their result, which declared Falokun the best candidate. He insisted that the best candidates, based on WAEC criteria, were honoured recently by the council and wondered how the state and school came about Miss Falokun being the best candidate in the 2011 May/June WASSCE.

But reacting to the WAEC’s position, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Eni Akinsola, insisted in a telephone conversation with Daily Sun that the school and the state government based their decision to celebrate Falokun on a letter sent by WAEC through Midas Global Associates, to request for Falokun’s profile.

Akinmade said what the state government did was to celebrate Falokun because she got A1 in nine subjects. He then went ahead to produce a letter sent from WAEC and which showed that Falokun came first not only in Nigeria but also in West Africa. “The fact that the girl had A1 in nine subjects and from a public school was enough to honour her achievement. In the letter from WAEC, it was stated that she came first in West Africa.”

Throwing more light on the issue, Akinsola further stressed that the document sent from WAEC was signed by one Mr. Austin Aidokhai, who also stated the criteria used in determining the best candidates. Two other candidates’ grades in the school examination aside from Falokun’s were attached, along with Falokun’s result. They are, namely Chuks Ogochukwu, an ex-student of Dority International Secondary School, Umuodu Avenue, Aba. With examination number 4010115/011 and a T-score of 712.0972, he too, like Falokun, made A1 in nine subjects while Ojekwu Adaeze, formerly of Federal Government Girls’ College, Onitsha, with examination No. 4051717/310 and a T-score of 645.9218 came third. She also made A1 in nine subjects.

“From the T-score, Falokun emerged the best candidate in the May/June 2011 WASSCE. We think WAEC ought to recognise Falokun,” Akinsola observed. “She ought to be celebrated. It came to us as a big surprise that rather than honour the three candidates in the letter signed on behalf of the HNO, and sent to the school, the award was given to another person. We are waiting for WAEC’s explanation.”

So, the big question waiting to be answered now is, who authorised the letter from WAEC to Falokun’s school and attached the results of the three candidates as the top three highest scorers in WASSCE 2011 exams? And does one Midas Global Associates, Egbeda, Lagos, which is said to have, on behalf of the council, requested for their profiles from their schools, any association with WAEC? Stakeholders are watching to see how the issue will be resolved and in whose favour.

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