The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has awarded 18 years old, Miss Isabelle Gelegu as the overall best student in 2017.
Isabelle Gelegu, who was a student of Oritamefa Baptist Model School Ibadan scored distinctions in all the subjects she sat for to receive the 1st prize of National Distinction/Merit Award 2017.
Other two WAEC candidates who excellently performed in the examination are Miss Favour Ngozi Etuonuma of Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Model college Ilorin, Kwara State as well as Miss Adenike Temitope Adedara of Louisville Girls High School IjebunItele Ogun State, the 2nd and 3rd prizes of the same National Distiction Merit Award.
The award was bestowed on the three girls at the WAEC 56th Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria National Committee (NNC) 3-day meeting in Calabar.
Chairman of the NNC, Dr. Lami Amodu who presented the awards on the awardees alongside other WAEC staff who the examination body claimed had meritoriously served the exam body without any bad record, stated that the honor was to encourage other staff and students to encourage education in Nigeria.
Apart from that, the council also gave award to three secondary schools in Cross River for being adjudged best in 2017. The three schools also jointly won a prize of $5000 from the Endowment Fund Book for the aggregate results into WASSCE for school candidates in 2017.
The secondary schools that won the awards in Cross River State includes: Assurance community secondary school Ovubra in Obubra LGA (1st); Hillcrest College Calabar, 2nd (private); and Federal Science College Ogoja, in that order.
According to Dr. Lami Amodu:
“The awards were not based on academic excellence alone. The schools were also found not to have been involved in any form of examination malpractice during the WASSCE for school candidates 2017.”
