Thousands of students in Zamfara State have received their long-delayed WAEC and NECO examination results, following the settlement of outstanding debts owed to both examination bodies by the state government. The release comes after years of withheld results that affected multiple graduating classes between 2014 and 2022.

Governor Dauda Lawal’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, announced the development in a statement issued on Saturday. According to the statement, the state government paid ₦1.4 billion to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for results covering exams from 2018 to 2022. An additional ₦320.7 million was paid to the National Examinations Council (NECO) to cover debts for 2020 and 2021.

The government also made arrangements to settle a further ₦1.022 billion owed to NECO for exams conducted between 2014 and 2018. NECO has reportedly agreed to release the outstanding results once it receives the first tranche of this payment.

“The release of these results has lifted a heavy burden off the shoulders of thousands of students who had completed their final exams but were left stranded due to administrative failings,” the statement read.

Many of the affected students had been unable to access their exam certificates, which hampered their ability to pursue higher education or employment. The issue also contributed to Zamfara’s consistent poor performance on national education rankings.

Governor Lawal, who assumed office in 2023, declared a state of emergency in the education sector and began implementing structural reforms. Over 500 schools have since undergone renovation and re-equipping, and public school teachers have been included in retraining initiatives.

The administration has also funded the 2024 WAEC examination fees for public school pupils, reinstating their participation after a one-year break caused by the previous government’s failure to pay.

“This is a major milestone in our plan to restore the integrity and functionality of education in Zamfara State,” the statement added, underscoring the government’s intent to reverse the longstanding neglect of the education sector.