West African Examination Council (WAEC) has for the first time in six years conducted Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), in Chibok Local Government, Borno State.
The 2020 examination is the first of its kind since the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in the area by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14, 2014.
Following the abduction of the schoolgirls, the Federal Government had closed down schools in the area.
Seven Division of the Nigerian Army has now confirmed the reopening of schools in the local government.
Six years after the incident which led to the formation of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) advocacy group, the girls-only school has now been converted into a mixed school (for boys and girls).
Abdul-Khalifa Ibrahim, acting general officer commanding (GOC), 7 division who was represented by Ifeanyi Otu, chief of staff of the division said;
It will be gladdening to note that for the first time in the past six years, WAEC successfully held WASSCE in Chibok with the military providing security.
We are all witnesses to what happened in the recent past like the abduction of the Chibok girls, the slaughtering of students at Buni Yadi and abduction of students at Dapchi. These are all that happened and we have turned around that narrative.
He stated;
Let me equally say that the chief of army staff has been making deliberate efforts through the education corps to post teachers to all schools within the north-east states.
Ibrahim expressed;
We are really doing enough to ensure that education is resuscitated and as we all know, education is one thing that liberates the individual and liberates the minds. In the first place, this conflict would not have thrived if not that there was high illiteracy rate in this zone.
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Out of the 219 schoolgirls abducted by the insurgents, 107 have regained freedom after various rescue efforts and mediated negotiations between the Federal Government and the terrorists.
Below are some photos of students sitting for the WAEC examination in Chibok;
