The West African Senior Examinations Council (WASEC) examination that was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic will hold from August 4 to September 5, 2020.
The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, who made the announcement at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday, said arrangement would be made for those wishing to attend revision classes.
He stated that the country had more than 19,000 centres for the examination, adding that NABTEB and NECO would follow at after the WAEC examination.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has unveiled a new guideline for conducting elections in this crisis period.
Its Director-General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, appealed to politicians to take responsibility and lead by example.
He pleaded with them to prioritise the lives of the electorate.
Also, the PTF day acknowledged that the rising infections among people in authority were affecting governance and the security situation.
The taskforce’s chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the pervasive global and domestic cases and deaths were indicative of the potency of the virus, vowing that the current administration would not slow down its response and compromise.
He stated that Nigeria must continue to learn from history by avoiding the mistakes of 1918.
“As we ease restrictions in more sectors, including those with potentials for large gatherings and/or interactions between groups of people, we are conscious of the fact that this could be misinterpreted to mean that the war against COVID 19 is over. Nigerians should remain vigilant, and this call is underscored by global and national developments in the last one week, especially throughout the weekend,” Mustapha cautioned.
The SGF said capacity and opportunities for testing had been expanded, with the opening of 40 laboratories and creation of more testing centres, including some certified private sector medical facilities.
He said the PTF met with the heads of security agencies to review and chart a refined course in view of the fact that the disease had become a global health, and socio-economic and security issue, and as such, Nigeria must continue to evolve strategies peculiar to its environment, even while working within global prescriptions.
According to him, the task force, will this Thursday and Friday, carry out its mid-term review having crossed half of its six-month lifespan.
He stated that Nigerians in Diaspora supported the team last week by donating personal protective equipment (PPE) worth N48 million for onward distribution to the states.
In a related development, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF), has lamented the continued resumption of officers on grade levels 13 and below at their duty posts, stating that the circular issued by her office specifically mentioned that only officers on grade levels 14 and above that should be at work as part of measures to check the spread of the ailment.
