Distinguished gentlemen of the media, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this briefing. It is always a privilege to interact with you at such fora.  On behalf of the Management and, indeed, the entire staff of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council, I wish to express, as on previous occasions, my heartfelt gratitude to you for the understanding and partnership which the Council has enjoyed from the media over the years.

The Registrar welcomes distinguished Council Members from The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia to the series of international committee meetings of Council which will be held from Monday, 4th to Wednesday, 6th July 2011 at the Excellence Hotel & Conference Centre, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.

I feel greatly honoured and pleased to welcome you on behalf of Council to this Opening Ceremony of the 59th Annual Council Meeting.  I am particularly delighted by the rare privilege of welcoming His Excellency, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Ghana, who is our Special Guest of Honour and on whose behalf the Chairman of the Council of State, Prof. Kofi Awoonor, will declare open the 59th Annual Meeting of the West African Examinations Council.

It is my singular honour and privilege to welcome you all to this occasion of the Formal Opening of the 59th Annual Meeting of Council - the Governing Board of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). I convey to this august gathering warm greetings from the Management and Staff of WAEC in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The Registrar, on behalf of the Secretariat, welcomes Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, Leaders of Delegation and Members of Council from The Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia to Accra, Ghana for the 59th Annual Council Meeting which runs from Monday, March 14 to Friday, March 18, 2011. The venue of the meeting is M-Plaza Hotel where accommodation has been reserved for you all.

Your Excellency, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan
Members of the Board of Trustees of the WAEC Endowment Fund
Chief Government Nominee of Nigeria on Council
Chief Government Nominee of Sierra Leone on Council
Registrar to the West African Examinations Council

Your Excellency, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Deputy Governor of Lagos State
The Chairman of Council, Prof. J. A. S. Redwood-Sawyerr
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Lagos State
Other Permanent Secretaries

As we start the new year of 2011, I wish to congratulate the Registrar, members of Council, members of the various Committees of Council and all staff of the Council in the Member States for their steadfast dedication to meeting the vision of WAEC, i.e. ‘To be a world class examining body adding value to the educational goals of its numerous stakeholders.’

I wish to acknowledge especially the support of Madam Registrar and the Vice Chairman, Hon. (Dr) Mator Kpangbai, who is also the Chief Government Nominee of the Republic of Liberia and the other Chief Government Nominees from Nigeria, Alhaji G Y Bello; Ghana, Ms Benedicta Biney; Sierra Leone, Mr Abdul Bayoh and The Gambia, Mrs Fatou Njie.