Association appeals to WAEC to reschedule exams for displaced students
Gwankat said that since the attacks began in April 2023 in Mangu Local Government of the state, most students in the local government had been displaced and could not take their final year exams.
The Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA), a socio-cultural association in Plateau, has appealed to the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to reschedule the 2023 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) for students displaced by attacks.
The Chairman of MDA, Chief Joseph Gwankat, made the appeal while briefing newsmen on Saturday in Jos.
Gwankat said that since the attacks began in April 2023 in Mangu Local Government of the state, most students in the local government had been displaced and could not take their final year exams.
“We urge the Government to take full responsibility of educating children below the age of 10 who have lost both parents as a result of the attacks.
“Arrangements should made for the SS3 students whose WAEC exams were disrupted as a result of these attacks,” he pleaded.
The chairman stated that from April till date, no fewer 53 villages cutting across districts were attacked, 204 persons confirmed killed and many others missing.
He said Mwaghavul nation prides itself not just as the agricultural hub of Plateau, but also as a key commercial centre, only next to Jos, the state capital.
Gwankat stated that the people have been displaced from their ancestral lands and that they cannot access their farms nor businesses
The chairman stated that there would be extreme hunger in Mangu, if not the whole state, as a result of the attackers’ activities that he said were still ongoing.
He described Mwaghavul people as peace-loving people who have never attacked anyone, and would never attack anyone.
According to him, they are determined to live in peace with their good neighbours and good ethnic nationalities they are privileged to serve as their hosts.
“However, one thing we cannot afford to do is to fold our arms and watch our villages being overrun by terrorists and our people being killed by the same terrorists,” he said.
He expressed concern over the recent publication that Mwaghavul people were attacking herders in the area.
Gwankat the said publication was spurious allegation and urged well meaning Nigerians to discountenance the allegations as total falsehood.