WAEC BLAMES LEAKAGES, COMPROMISES, AND LOGISTICAL FAILURES FOR NIGHT-TIME EXAMINATION CONDUCT

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has attributed the unprecedented late-night conduct of its English Language paper in several states to exam leakages, internal compromises, and severe logistical challenges.

Appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies, WAEC’s Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, revealed that the Council detected integrity breaches in the English Language paper just three days before the scheduled exam date. These breaches, he explained, forced the council to activate emergency response measures, which unfortunately led to disruptions and delays.

Dr. Dangut admitted that WAEC's system was already compromised when the issue was discovered, stating, “A lot of things went wrong.” He explained that, in addition to the paper leak, efforts to distribute replacement exam materials were hampered by logistics setbacks. Vehicles delivering the new papers broke down in transit, while some were denied access to certain communities, particularly in states such as Taraba, exacerbating delays.

Addressing his earlier failure to appear before the Committee as scheduled, Dr. Dangut apologized, clarifying that his absence was not intended as a sign of disrespect, but was due to other urgent obligations at the time.

During the hearing, Hon. Dagomie Abiante (PDP, Rivers) criticized WAEC’s handling of the crisis, questioning the Council's preparedness and swift decision-making after discovering the leak. He argued that WAEC should have adopted preventive strategies already in place in other member countries, which could have averted the disruption and spared students the ordeal of sitting for exams late into the night.

Committee Chairman Hon. Oboku Oforji (PDP, Bayelsa) reinforced the Committee's commitment to accountability, stating that concerns had already been raised at the May 30, 2025, sitting. He described WAEC’s management of the situation as deeply troubling, given the funding and trust placed in the Council.

Oforji said, “We are not here to overreact, but we need clear answers regarding both the immediate and systemic failures that led to this breakdown. Parliament has approved funding for these examinations, and we owe it to Nigerian citizens, students, and parents to ensure full accountability. Only by identifying what went wrong can we prevent a recurrence.”

BY; Benita Ibrahim