The Senate has endorsed the dismissal of Ms. Sandra Nimi Harry, a senior staff member of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), over her involvement in a high-profile examination malpractice case.
The decision followed the presentation and adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen (APC, Edo South), during plenary on Wednesday.
Presenting the committee’s findings, Senator Imasuen disclosed that Ms. Harry, who was Head of the Scripts Room at the time, was found to have aided a fellow staff member, Mr. Raymond Obi, in swapping original answer scripts with those of unregistered candidates during a private WAEC examination held in Port Harcourt. Obi confessed that Harry had shown him where to find the envelopes containing the scripts, allegedly acting on the instruction of another staff member, Mr. Joseph Pepple, who was familiar with the candidates involved.
Harry, who joined WAEC on July 15, 1992, and served for 31 years, was dismissed on July 19, 2023, following internal investigations. Three panels — the Panel of Enquiry, the Investigative and Disciplinary Committee, and the Nigeria Administrative and Finance Committee — found her and two other staff culpable and recommended their dismissal for gross misconduct.
While the committee acknowledged her previously unblemished service record, it ruled that her involvement in the script manipulation scandal severely undermined WAEC’s integrity. Though it suggested that WAEC consider commuting her dismissal to retirement as an act of clemency, the Senate rejected the recommendation outright.
Senator Garba Maidoki (APC, Kebbi South) vehemently opposed any leniency, stating, “This woman has done great injustice to our children, to the credibility of WAEC certifications. She deserves no mercy. In fact, she should be prosecuted.”
Backing the stance, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) described Harry’s action as an “atrocity” and argued that such behavior should not go unpunished in any sane society.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio closed the debate with a stern warning, saying:
“This means that anyone who has put in more than 30 years and is preparing to retire can begin to commit fraud and tamper with examination scripts for monetary gains. That is unacceptable.”
With its resolution, the Senate firmly aligned itself with WAEC’s decision and called for stronger accountability measures to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s education system.
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