According to newly discovered information, in the final five years of the state’s administration, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu approved the payment of over N4.2 billion for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees, which were organized by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) of all public schools.
During the ministerial briefing on the first anniversary of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s second term of office, held in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday, Mr. Tolani Alli-Balogun, the commissioner for basic and secondary education, made this disclosure.
Since the beginning, the Sanwo-Olu administration, according to Alli-Balogun, has never been in arrears on WAEC fees.
“During the four years of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s first term in office, the administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has never defaulted on the payment of WAEC fees of all public school SS3 students,” he stated.
“The state government fulfilled our pledge to fully pay the fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination by spending more over N4.2 billion between 2020 and 2023.
The governor has authorized N1,571,076,000 for registration fees and other expenses for 58, 188 SS3 pupils taking the West Africa School Certificate Examination in the current academic year (2024).
45,446 people were selected as beneficiaries in 2020, and N636,033,700 was paid in total.
There were 51,187 candidates in 2021, and they paid N717, 210, 650 in total.
Additionally, there were 56, 256 candidates in 2022 who paid a total of N1, 016, 380, 800, while there were 57, 312 candidates in 2023 who paid a total of N1, 035, 893, 200.
Additionally, N1,571, 076,000 will be paid, and 58, 188 candidates would profit in 2024.
The commissioner additionally said that 1,340 teachers were hired throughout the review period, which ran from 2023 until the present.
Over a thousand (1000) newly recruited teachers were initiated into the teaching profession in 2024 by the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) in order to provide effective teaching and learning to date.