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A staff member of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Mr. Samson Oriowo, has appealed against his dismissal from the Council, denying allegations of corruption, extortion, dishonesty and fraudulent practices arising from the recruitment of examination supervisors in the Benin Zone.
Oriowo, who has served the Council for more than 34 years, made the appeal in a letter dated August 11, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of the Nigeria Administrative and Finance Committee (A&F) of WAEC and routed through the Head of the National Office and the Deputy Director, Human Resources Management and Development (HRMD).
He said his dismissal followed a decision reached at the 242nd meeting of the Nigeria Administrative and Finance Committee held in Abuja on July 29 and 30, 2026, where the case concerning alleged corrupt practices in the recruitment of supervisors in the Benin Zone was considered.
According to Oriowo, the committee found him culpable of “unscrupulous acts and extortion, dishonesty and engaging in fraudulent practices” as well as involvement in activities allegedly conflicting with the interests of the Council.
However, he vehemently rejected the allegations, insisting that he had neither breached WAEC’s conditions of service nor engaged in any corrupt practice throughout his more than three decades of service.
“I must state clearly and unequivocally that I am not in any way guilty or culpable of any of the offences levelled against me,” he said, adding that he had carried out his responsibilities with “integrity, fairness and transparency” throughout his career.
Oriowo described the petition against him as false, malicious and unfounded, alleging that those behind it were motivated by personal animosity.
He said he had never received financial, material or other inducements connected with the recruitment of supervisors or any other official assignment during his years with the Council.
“I have never received financial, material or any kind of inducement or bribe pertaining to recruitment exercise or any other exercise in my years of service,” he stated.
He challenged anyone with evidence of financial inducement against him to produce it, saying he was prepared to make his statement of account available for scrutiny to establish his innocence.
Beyond denying the allegations, Oriowo alleged that some individuals had previously threatened to use the recruitment process to force him out of WAEC if he refused to act according to their wishes.
He claimed that the individuals attempted to coerce, induce, intimidate and harass him into allocating them slots for supervisory positions, allegedly threatening him with dismissal and the loss of his gratuity and other retirement benefits.
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“These same persons have used several other methods, means and ways to ensure I do exactly what they want, which was giving them slots for the supervisory positions,” he alleged.
Oriowo further claimed that the individuals boasted of having connections with highly placed officials within the Council and had made the smooth running of his office difficult.
He said the names and details of the persons involved could be provided upon request.
The WAEC staff member also questioned the fairness of the process that culminated in his dismissal, alleging that the panel before which he appeared did not present a specific act committed by him that warranted the punishment.
He alleged that he was not given a fair opportunity to defend himself against a clearly defined case.
“I passionately appeal to the Council for a thorough investigation into the untrue facts leading to my dismissal,” he said.
He urged the A&F Committee to revisit both the decision of the panel and the basis upon which it was reached, including what he described as possible influence by certain individuals.
Oriowo appealed for an objective and unbiased reconsideration of his case, stressing that his employment with WAEC had been his only source of livelihood for himself, his family and other dependants.
He said his dismissal, if allowed to stand, would have serious financial and social consequences for him and those who depended on him.
After more than 34 years of service, Oriowo said he had no previous record of fraud, financial inducement or involvement in sharp practices and maintained that his career had been built around “integrity, competence, trust, fairness and honesty.”
He therefore urged the Council to reconsider the dismissal and restore what he described as his good name, career, entitlements and retirement benefits.
As of the time of filing this report, WAEC Head of National Office (HNO), Dr. Amos Dangut, since Friday did not response to Daily Sun enquire about the allegations contained in Oriowo’s appeal.
