Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has settled all outstanding debts owed to national examination bodies by previous administrations, leading to the release of results withheld for up to five years.

According to a statement by the Governor's spokesman, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) have now released all results that had been withheld from 2018 to 2022.

The statement revealed that Governor Lawal paid N1.4 billion to WAEC, clearing debts accumulated from 2018 to 2022. Additionally, he settled N320,699,850 owed to NECO for the 2020-2021 period.

"The nonpayment of fees for WAEC and NECO has caused a significant setback for public schools throughout Zamfara State, continually placing Zamfara at the bottom of educational indices across Nigeria," the statement noted.

The Governor has also approved payment for results withheld from 2014 to 2018, with NECO agreeing to release these results immediately after receiving the first installment of the payment. Previous administrations had failed to pay NECO the sum of N1.022 billion for examinations conducted during this period.

The statement further highlighted that the immediate past administration did not pay for the 2023 WAEC examinations, resulting in no public school in Zamfara State participating in the examination that year. However, Governor Lawal has made payments for 2024, enabling students to take the exams.

This initiative is part of the broader educational reforms implemented since Governor Lawal declared a state of emergency on education in November 2023. Other achievements under this program include the renovation and equipping of more than 500 schools and the training and retraining of public school teachers.

"The swift payment of the outstanding debt to WAEC and NECO has relieved the stranded Zamfara students, who completed their final exams but could not proceed due to the examination bodies withholding their results," the statement added.

The settlement of these debts marks a significant milestone in the state's efforts to improve its educational sector and provide better opportunities for students who had been unable to access their results for years.