The Head of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Charles Eguridu has revealed that it was the Borno State Governor who pressurized his team to conduct examinations for the abducted girls in Chibok.
He made the disclosure at a stakeholders meeting convened by the First Lady, Patience Jonathan to seek a solution for the missing girls which has received widespread local and international attention.
Eguridu said WAEC asked that the exams be conducted in Maiduguri which is much safer than Chibok, however his request was rebuffed by the governor who assured of security in the small town where the girls were abducted.
“Following the previous experience, we were afraid to go to the North East this year, yet we risked it and asked for extra security through the Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike.
“We also asked the various state governments to relocate all the centres to the state capitals where there would be adequate security.
“The three governors did not respond to our request but instead said they had made adequate security arrangements.
“The Borno State government also refused to relocate the students from Chibok to safer places like Maiduguri. The Borno State government only agreed to relocate the remaining 189 pupils to Uba after the abduction of the girls.
“On the overall, 530 students registered for WAEC at the Chibok center: 135 males and 395 girls,” he said.
The WAEC boss presented the students bio data containing the passport photographs of all the 530 candidates that registered at the Chibok centre for this year’s examination.
He also tendered letters written to three North Eastern Governors by WAEC asking that the Governors conduct the exam in safer areas. It was only Shettima who requested, and at the last minute, that the exams be held in Chibok.