By Jonathan Lois
The House of Representatives on Wednesday stepped down a motion seeking to compel Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB)), West African Examination Council (WEAC) as well as the National Examination Council (NECO) among other Examination Bodies to register students for free in the 2023-2024 Examination Exercise.
This is sequel to a motion moved during plenary by Hon. Anamero Dekeri titled: “Need to Compel JAMB, NECO and WAEC and other Examination Bodies to register students for Free during 2023-2024 Examination Exercise.
In his lead debate, Dekeri informed that as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy, the government may have saved approximately (N I7, 200,000,000.00) seventeen billion two hundred million naira only, daily from a few cartels that have been sucking the poor masses.
He maintained that the removal of fuel subsidies is negatively impacting on most Nigerians, particularly those who are low income earners, lamenting that the profiteers are taking undue advantage of the situation which has further exacerbated the costs of daily living for the already impoverished population.
“Aware that one of the major challenges of the low-income earning parents is the education of their wards particularly in payment of examination fees.
“Noted that with the cooperation of the masses, the federal government was able to deliver Nigerians from a few individuals that took the nation’s economy hostage through fuel subsidy payment conduit pipe that has plundered Nigeria economy for too long. Observed that the government is making plans for permanent and commensurate benefit for poor masses who have suffered the effect of fuel subsidy removal.
“Resolved to urge the Ministry of Education to declare 2023 and 2024 WAEC, NECO and JAMB
examination registration free, to enable common man have a direct benefit.
“Also urge the Minister of Finance, Budget, Economic and National Planning to come up with
robust framework that will give the poor masses sense of belonging in the country” Dekeri narrated.
House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere while supporting Dekeri by way of an amendment to the motion, prayed members of the House to take it upon themselves to adopt at least one public school secondary school, particularly the one they attended and pay off their examination fees. This, he noted would count as corporate social responsibility on their part.
Another contributor, Hassan Doguwa, representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency, Kano State, commended Dekeri for the motion, urging the House however to be careful not to compel lawmakers to sign up to paying the said examination fees.
“The motion is very good but some of us are already doing this. Let us be careful. We can intervene in any way we can but let this not come in the body of the motion because there is going to be problem.”
Doguwa urged the House not to force the responsibility on lawmakers, many of whom, he noted, were already implanting similar schemes in their various constituencies.
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The Lawmakers argued that the motion is very important but advised that it must not be made compulsory for Lawmakers to adopt a school and pay for the examination fee.
Some members who spoke during the plenary on the motion explained that they have been doing so voluntarily without compulsion.
The motion although was stepped down, it might still come back to the floor of the House after amendment of the prayers which cause the misunderstanding during the debate.
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