10 months after, WAEC reopens Calabar office destroyed by EndSARS protesters

[From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar]

West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has reopened its Calabar Office that was destroyed last year by EndSARS protesters.

The protesters who came in their hundreds caused extensive damage to the building alongside facilities.

The damage which was worth millions also affected certificates and other sensitive materials stored in the office.

However, 10 months after the unfortunate incident the office has once again been opened for business by the then Head of National Office of the organisation Patrick Areghan.

The HNO who was accompanied by other staff of the organisation said they were reduced to ground zero but that incident is now behind them.

He disclosed that sensitive data was not lost as all certificates have been reprinted.

He said WAEC does not loose data as everything is stored in the cloud and nothing was lost by way of data.

“WAEC is one organisation that we don’t lose any data, everything is stored in the cloud.

“Even if you burn down the whole place, nothing is lost by way of data, we have all the records.

“I must tell you that even the certificates that were burnt we have reprinted all of them because we have the database, we just recalled them from the database and reprinted them”, he said.

He said the reopening of the Calabar Office has ended the traumatic experience the staff, principals and students went through.

He disclosed that they had to travel to Uyo to transact official business and they are just grateful that this has ended.

“It was a very traumatic experience, school principals and students had to travel all the way to Uyo  on this very bad road.

“They had to spend money and time and so if this did not happen they would still have to travel to conduct official business and so we are grateful this has ended,” he said.

He said this is the most critical time in the history of WAEC as they have had to contend with organising Exams in a pandemic era.

The academic calendar in member countries he said was substantially distorted and they had to work in conjunction with the governments of member states to re-organise the Calendar to ensure exams start in August this year.

He also appealed to the Cross River State government to fulfill all promises made to the organisation in the wake of the protests as everything has gone back to normal with the reopening of the office.

Also speaking, Adebolu Adesonya, the head of Uyo zonal office said the organisation has successfully completed it’s restoration, reintegration  and rededication agenda in Cross River State.

He maintained that the long and turtuous journey to Uyo   has ended with the reopening of the office.

He also thanked God for protecting the staff of Calabar Office during their trips to Uyo.

On his part, the Branch Controller WAEC Calabar Oladele Ezekiel thanked the management of WAEC for its profound interest and genuine concerns.

He said the management has saved them from stress, shame and mockery.

“We have decided to put it on record for generations yet unborn that this edifice was once a ruin and ashes but renovated and transformed through your enviable leadership.

“The entire staff has engraved your name and this gesture in our hearts by putting to an end the pitiable operational conditions under which Calabar Office has to operate within those periods.

“You have indeed saved us from stress, shame and mockery, we shall forever be grateful and loyal to the Council”, the Branch Controller said.

He said the WAEC Office in Calabar is the first and only such establishment that has been renovated among all others destroyed by the hoodlums.

Speaking on behalf of WAEC retirees, Chief Oku Coco Bassey regretted that the state showed a bad example of how not to relate to a public institution like WAEC.

He said that even in Lagos that has frequent protests a situation like this has never occurred.

He thanked the management of WAEC for reopening the Calabar Office and promised that will always remain part and parcel of the organisation.