Patrick Areghan, Head of National Office of West African Examinations Council (WAEC),
Nigeria, shares his story exclusively with TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE.
How was growing up like for you?
I was born and bred in Egbele, my home village, in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State. I grew up like every other village boy, playing in the sands and under the moonlight to listen to folktales. I played football and also went to farm. I hunted rabbits, killed birds and squirrels with my catapult.
This means I am from a poor home. My father was a farmer/tailor and my mother was a farmer, market woman and food vendor. We were 10 siblings and I was the seventh but now third in the family as some of my siblings have died. My father planted yams while my mother used to plant cassava and cocoyam. It was a must for us to go to farm on weekends and during the holidays. Any day I did not go for no genuine reason, I became a bad child and received serious flogging.
In our rudimentary knowledge, we used to talk about what we wanted to become in future, but there was really no serious ambition other than to be a teacher.
I started my education at Egbele primary School and I had to stop when the government introduced school fees. It was three Pounds per year and my parents could not afford such a huge amount of money. My father said he would need to focus first on my elder brother (who is now late). He was in technical college. So, I stayed at home for a year and then, my brother came home one day with five shillings. He said somebody gave it to him as a gift and gave it to me to go back to school.
The day I went, I lined up with the Primary one pupils on the assembly ground and the Headmaster, Mr Obaedo, now late, sighted me and called me by my surname and said: ‘You were a brilliant boy, go and join the Primary Three pupils.’ It was like I didn’t hear him well. He repeated himself and I jumped up because I didn’t attend Primary Two, and now in primary Three. That meant I didn’t lose any year.
It was also when I was in Primary six that government changed the academic calendar. Because of that, I spent only six months in Primary six before going to secondary school. That made my education faster. I left primary school in 1973 and entered Esan Grammar School, Uromi, where I had my secondary education and finished in 1978.
In both primary and secondary schools, I was a footballer and an athlete and I was very good at them. I even thought I would make a career out of them. Particularly in football which I played till my undergraduate days. A dislocated hip stopped my progress. And without sounding immodest, I was equally good academically. I used to be among the best three in class. I made all my papers in WASCE at first sitting and four of the subjects at distinction level. I used the result to gain admission to the University of Benin (UNIBEN) to study Political Science.
Why UNIBEN and Political Science?
When I was in Form Three or Four, I went to Benin City to spend my vacation with my elder brother, now late. His wife was working in what was known as Bendel Library. They also used to sell books and I used to visit her. I was doing window shopping one day and saw a book, titled, “Elements of Political Science”. I picked up the book and glanced through. I loved the language in the book and I then bought it. From there, I developed interest in Political Science and that was how I settled for the course and I graduated with Second Class, Upper Division. As for why UNIBEN, it is the University most people from my area loved to attend.
Your job-seeking experience, How easy was it securing a job back then?
It wasn’t easy getting a job but not as difficult like the current situation with fresh graduates. I could remember the era of graduates getting jobs easily, ended with the 1982 set. That was when big companies and multinationals used to go to universities to recruit talents. Once you graduated with first class or second class upper, you were most likely to be offered automatic employment. But that was no longer the situation when I graduated. Only teaching job was available. To get good office job, you must have to come to Lagos. So, I spent almost a year after my National Youth Service Corps, before I got teaching appointment.
It meant you wouldn’t have been a teacher?
Yes, I didn’t plan to be a teacher. Teaching was circumstantial for me. It was one of my cousins that went to the Ministry of Education, collected the employment form, filled it and submitted it on my behalf. I was invited for an interview and coincidentally, my former principal, the late Mr. Ogbebor, happened to chair the interview panel. We were surprised to see each other and he just told his colleagues that I was a good boy and I was brilliant in school and that commendation settled my matter without asking me any question. So, I didn’t struggle to get the job and I spent only four years and joined WAEC.
Did the appointment with WAEC came on silver platter?
It didnt come on a silver platter, and it was quite an interesting journey. I was at home one day, not feeling too well, when some of my friends who went to the news stand to catch some news came to tell me that they saw WAEC advertisement in a particular newspaper. They said my qualification perfectly matched one of the positions. I asked for the paper and they told me they didn’t buy it because they didn’t have N1.00 which was the cover price of national dailies then. I was curious to see the advert and at the same time, not sure if WAEC would want to employ a village boy like me. I didn’t know anybody in WAEC nor elsewhere that could help out. Yet, I gave them the N1.00 and they went back to buy the newspaper for me.
Luckily for me, my elder sister’s husband, Mr. Ijebor Ativie, who was living in Lagos, came to the village that weekend and I told him about the advert and my interest. I gave him my application and he helped to collect the employment form from WAEC office in Lagos and brought same to me the following week to fill. I gave it back to him to help submit to WAEC, Lagos and I continued with my work. I was in school one day when my colleague said somebody with an envelope was looking for me. When I opened the envelope, it was an invitation letter by WAEC for aptitude test which was scheduled to take place in Benin City.
I did the test and I went back to my work. Some weeks after, somebody from WAEC came again to give me a letter inviting me for an oral interview, now in Lagos. In Lagos, we were very many for the interview. I did my best. But something surprised me after the exercise. The Chief Personnel Officer then, Chief Uffen called me aside and asked if I knew what WAEC was about to do. I was just looking at him because I didn’t understand the question. He then said it was to separate the sheep from the goats! That message immediately sent a signal to me and I gained some level of confidence that it meant I performed well in the interview. I then went back to my duty post. Again, I was in school when I was told that somebody, and this time from the Ministry of Education, was looking for me. He was with a big envelope and I couldn’t envisage his mission because of where he said he came from. I opened the envelope and it was my employment letter from WAEC! I couldn’t control my joy. I screamed and that attracted my colleagues and we went into jubilation. I was employed as Assistant Registrar II. That was how I became a member of the WAEC family in October 1989. I started at WAEC office, Ogba, alongside the immediate past Head of National Office. We came in the same year and shared the same office.
Did you at any point in time, give it a thought to leave WAEC?
WAEC is a big institution and anyone who joins the organisation would not want to leave. Workers live like one big family. Though, the work is challenging and intellectually demanding, you will just find a way to get it done. The conditions of service across cadres are not bad. WAEC doesn’t owe staff.
But even at that, I was tempted at a time to leave WAEC but I thank God it didn’t work out. How do I explain? In my early days in Abuja, and that was when merchant banking was in vogue and young bankers were making lots of money, riding big cars and all that. I had one friend who wanted to connect me to join one of the banks as they were into massive recruitment. The move didn’t work out and I really thank God for that, otherwise, I would have regretted doing so. This is because it was not long thereafter that banks started to retrench workers and so, many were sacked. Apart from that, there was no other time that I had such thought again.
That is almost 32 years ago, why staying this long?
It is the grace of God. In 1990 and barely about eight months in WAEC, I was transferred to Abuja. I was the first to be transferred out among 20 of us who were employed newly. I was the second-in-command in our Abuja office where I spent about four years. Thereafter, in 1994, I was transferred to Awka for a brief stay and then to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where I stayed for about 10 years. When I was in Uyo, I did my best. I helped to give the office a new direction. I also served in Lokoja, Kogi State, in Ibadan, Oyo State and in Kano and also in Port-Harcourt in that order. I was transferred back to Abuja as Zonal Co-ordinator in 2014 before I moved down to Lagos as Acting Director of Administration in 2016. So, I have moved round the length and breadth of Nigeria and each of these movements was a new and big experience for me.
My first posting to Abuja was as Assistant Registrar (Examinations Security), which is the most sensitive duty in WAEC. That means you are in charge of WAEC exam materials-packing and distribution and all that. If you are able to do that successfully, you have done the core WAEC business. That alone gave me some confidence. So, to have served as an Assistant Registrar (Exams Security), Senior Assistant Registrar (Exams Security), Principal Assistant Registrar (Exams), Deputy Registrar – Branch Controller and Zonal Coordinator – were all amazing experiences.
I also served as acting Director of Administration and later, substantive Director of Administration, Senior Deputy Registrar, Head, Test Administration, from where God elevated me to my present office in March, 2020. So, I have gone round and seen it all in WAEC. The two divisions I have not worked in are the ICT and Finance because they are strictly for professionals in those fields. I have worked all over and that alone has provided me with the needed experience and confidence.
It means all have been well in WAEC?
I didn’t say so. There is neither a perfect person nor organisation anywhere, globally. So, it wasn’t smooth sailing all through. I got some rough patches here and there but God saw me through.
What could make WAEC to sack a staff is fraud, including exam malpractice and failure to perform one’s duties, especially during the conduct of examinations. WAEC doesn’t take the issue of exam malpractice with levity. So, my job in WAEC has never been threatened.
Now as HNO
I feel fulfilled and I’m grateful to God. I started as Assistant Registrar II and rose through the ranks to Senior Deputy Registrar before my appointment as Head of National Office (HNO). It could only be God. I came to WAEC without having any knowledge of HNO position, much less dreaming about it. So, I never imagined the office even when I became Senior Deputy Registrar. It was when the former HNO was rounding off and virtually everyone in WAEC was encouraging me to apply, that I first thought of it. They just believed in me leading them.
Why the impression?
It may be because of my performance and disposition to staff. Even some WAEC senior citizens also encouraged me to apply. I did eventually and it was God that spoke through them. That was my first time to apply for the position. I did my best at the interview and left the rest to God. All other competitors were equally very sound and I respect them a lot. It isn’t that I was or that I am better than them. But since the office is meant for only one person, God made that person to be me. I will remain grateful to Him.
Your wife and the first attraction
My wife, Mrs Patience Areghan, is from the neighboring town, Ubiaja, to mine. She is a graduate and a Registered Nurse/Midwife. It was a dangerous terrain wooing her. It all started when I accompanied my cousin to their house one day and I saw her as a beautiful young lady. I developed interest in her on our second visit. But she didn’t accept me immediately and in addition, I was scared of her eldest brother. When I got the WAEC job and came to Lagos, she also went to live with her eldest brother in Abuja. That was how we didn’t see each other for some years. But as providence would have it, I was transferred to Abuja and we ran into each other one day and we continued with our relationship. After a while, we went back home to inform our families about our intention to get married and that was the end of the story and I thank God.
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