The West Africa Examination Council has said 73.79 per cent of total candidates obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects with or without English Language and or Mathematics.

Speaking on Monday while announcing the release of the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results, the Head of Nigeria Office of WAEC, Dr Amos Dangut, said WAEC withheld the results of 215,267 candidates, which is 11.92 per cent of 1,805,216, the total number of candidates that sat the examination.

The 2024 examination spanned a period of seven weeks and six days, from April 30 to June 24, across the country.

Dangut said 1,301,941 candidates, representing 72.12 per cent, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

He maintained that out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, 1,685,889 candidates, representing 93.39 per cent, had their results fully processed and released while 119,327 candidates, representing 6.61 per cent, had one or more of their subjects still being processed due to some issues being resolved.

Dangut added that WAEC withheld the results of 215,267 candidates, which is 11.92 per cent of 1,805,216, the total number of candidates that sat the examination.

He said the results were being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.

The 2024 withheld results figure was 4.37 per cent lower than the 16.29 per cent recorded in the WASSCE for school candidates 2023.

He said, “The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, despite the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools are other nagging issues.

“All the cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council for consideration and final decisions.

“The committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their various schools, in due course. Candidates affected by these decisions can now call for redress of their malpractice cases if they so wish via our website.”

Of the 1,805,216 candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, 896,894 were males while 908,322 were females, representing 49.68 per cent and 50.32 per cent, respectively.

The examination was conducted in four WAEC member countries, namely: Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

At the briefing, Dangut lamented that some states were still indebted to the council, adding that the results of candidates from the affected states would not be released until payment was made.

“I need not restate the fact that the results of candidates sponsored by states indebted to the council will not be released now until payment is made.

“We appeal to the concerned to do so to enable the affected schools/candidates to access their results,” he said.

PUNCH