By Pascal Ibe
Claim
The claim that Abia State was ranked first in the 2023 WAEC examination has been shared on different social media platforms recently.
Verdict
This claim is FALSE.
A simple keyword by FACTWATCH led us to a press statement in 2023, where the WAEC authorities denied ranking Abia State as the first in the examination.
Full Text
On 27 September 2024, an X user named @emmnwa claimed that in the 2023 WAEC Exam Ranking: Abia State ranked 1st, while Yobe State ranked 37th.
The user also claimed all South-East states are in the top 10.
However, this claim was forwarded to many WhatsApp groups recently with an image of school children attached to it.
The claim shared in many WhatsApp groups reads, “2023 WAEC Exam Ranking: Abia State ranked 1st, while Yobe State ranked 37th. All South-East states are in the top 10.
“NECO 2024 Exam Ranking: Abia State ranked 1st, Katsina State ranked 37th, and all South-East states are in the top 10.
“Ekiti State recorded the highest rate of cheating. Of the 60% of total recorded examination malpractices, 50% occurred in the South-Western part of Nigeria, with Ekiti State accounting for 30% of the total exam malpractices. In some schools in Ekiti, candidates wrote identical answers on their answer sheets from the number 1 question to the last question—word for word, using the same English. In one particular school, all the candidates had identical handwriting, with the only differences being their names and exam numbers.
“Approximately 20 invigilators from the Western region have been suspended for aiding candidates in cheating during the exam.
FACTWATCH also cited this claim in some Facebook page/group recently.
Background
The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a West African examination conducted every year by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) for students who intend to leave senior secondary education. This examination is active in some West African African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Gambia.
Also, Abia State is one of the five states in the Nigeria’s Southeast.
Verification
A simple keyword search, “2021 WAEC exam ranking,” on Google, led this Fact Checker to a statement where WAEC debunked claims of the Council announcing Abia state as the best-performing state in the conduct of the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE.
The WAEC response was published by many credible news organizations in Nigeria on 12 October 2023.
WAEC noted that the claim was false, adding that it does not announce such information.
Part of the release read;” The attention of the West African Examinations Council has been drawn to a social media post stating that Abia State has been rated as the best-performing State in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2023, in Nigeria.
“This is far from the truth. The Council completely and disassociates itself from the publication.
“For the avoidance of doubt, The West African Examinations Council DOES NOT RANK the PERFORMANCE of STATES in its examination. This we have always stated.
“Thus, any media circulating this wrong information should be disregarded. They are mischievous platforms that trend on controversies, and their intention is purely political. They are trying unsuccessfully to drag the Council into the political arena and bring its good name to disrepute to cause disharmony among the states competing for superiority!
“Furthermore, the Council has not decided on the best candidate(s) for WASSCE for School Candidates, 2023. Any report to the contrary should be disregarded.
“The general public should please take note.”
You can check this statement by WAEC here and here.
Conclusion
This claim recirculating recently that Abia State was ranked first in the 2023 WAEC examination is just a calculated attempt to misinform the public.
