Former governorship candidate faults FG’s policy to limit students under 18 years from sitting for WAEC, NECO

Dr. Anigbata

By Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha

A former governorship candidate in Anambra State, Chief Victor Ikechukwu Anigbata, has faulted the Minister of Education’s revelation that Federal Government from next year would not allow students that are below 18 years to sit for West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) from next year.

The Minister of Education made the assertion in a recent interview with Channels Television during a programme “Politics Today”.

But Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Onitsha in Anambra State, Dr. Anigbata said the issue of education is not something students should be made to queue up because there are some students who are geniuses.

Dr. Anigbata said he has seen a white boy of nine years who flew an aircraft and made news in the entire world.

“I have a boy of five years plus who uses computer. He uses laptop.He can do so many things with laptop. He can learn sciences, he can learn mathematics with it.I have also seen a boy of 10 years doing better than those who are 15 years in the class.Such geniuses exist.Are you going to deny them their chances on altar of policy? Are you their God?Are you their creator? Should they queue and say, this is the time you enter school and graduate” queried Dr. Anigbata.

He continued: “Whoever is coming out with this policy want our children to fly out for their university education or boost private university. You make policies that are workable, not ones that can’t work, not to retard the progressive development of people”.

He said in the minds of those who initiated this obnoxious policy, they were referring to the old time when before somebody graduate from standard six they were looking for him to teach.

Chief Anigbata said: ” Time has changed.You can’t get those times again.People should be left alone to exploit their destinies, exploit their world, exploit sciences, technology and progress according to God’s will.This is man’s will and it cannot hold”.

The Minister’s outburst has elicited a lot of strident criticisms from wide spectrum of Nigerians, with some accusing him of trying to halt educational advancement of Southern Nigeria like his kinsman, Senator Jibril Aminu, when he was Minister of Education but failed.
This obnoxious policy, they said, would also fail.