Afe Babalola decries Nigeria’s withdrawal from 2020 WASSCE

• Says decision can breed criminality among 1.5m students
• Adeboye tasks schools on preventive measures against COVID-19

Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has expressed worry that a year of idleness for 1.5 million students may breed frustration and promote criminality with the withdrawal of the country from the 2019/2020.

The legal luminary raised the fear that the lives of students, who registered for the 2019/2020 WASSCE, may hang in the balance with the withdrawal of Nigeria.

Babalola, who stated this in a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said it was wrong for the country to have made such sole decision due to the fear of COVID-19 when other participating nations have not withdrawn.

The ABUAD administrator wondered why Nigeria took such hasty decision when other four countries under the WAEC umbrella have not cancelled the WASSCE in their respective countries.

He said: “Are the other four countries not affected by COVID-19? What steps have the other countries taken which would enable them take WAEC examinations, which we cannot take? Why is Nigeria the only country out of five that is pulling out of the yearly examinations? Are we saying that other four countries do not appreciate the lives of their students?

“If the Federal Government insists that there would be no WASSCE this year, the students are not just losing one calendar year but losing an integral part of their entire lives which is gone forever by such declaration. We should always remember that after all, “time is life and life is time.

MEANWHILE, the General Overseer, The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) (Worldwide), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has encouraged every institution of learning to co-operate with the government and make adequate provision that would create safe and conducive environment for students on resumption.

Adeboye stated this yesterday while commissioning the integrated hand sanitiser dispensing machine fabricated by the Redeemer’s College of Technology and Management (RECTEM) at the Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun State.

He said: “The machine, which was fabricated as a measure to check the spread of the coronavirus in preparation for re-opening of schools has such features, which include leg pedal, designed to dispense soap, water and hand sanitiser, a water storage tank as well as a tissue paper holding device.”