Barring any change in the bill seeking to amend the West African Examination Council Act, exam cheats are now to pay the sum of N 200, 000 if caught.
The Bill For An Act to Amend the West African Examination Council CAP W4 Laws of the Federation 2004 was an Executive bill sent by President Goodluck Jonathan for amendment.
The Principal Act of the Bill which scaled second reading yesterday had a penalty of N2, 000 for exam malpractices which members considered as obsolete.
Leading debates on the bill, the House Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, said stiffer penalties, including disqualification and prohibition of candidate not withstanding prosecution, was meant to strengthen WAEC.
She said: “Above all Mr. Speaker, it will further guarantee the standard of examination which is at its abysmal level at this point in time.
“There will be examination standardisation in Nigeria through effective supervision by WAEC which, hitherto, had been eroded.”
Adeola noted that despite her heavy contribution to the Council, “Nigeria is the only one that has not ratified and domesticates the 2003 convention among the five participating countries.”
The countries included the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
Speaker Aminu Tambuwal referred the bill to the House Committee on Education for further legislative action.
