The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education Examination Bodies has launched an investigation into the problems that affected the conduct of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) across Nigeria. The committee called for the official guidelines and a detailed report on the examination to understand what went wrong.
The decision came after a motion was adopted by Rep. Mary Ibikake (PDP-Bayelsa) during an investigative hearing held on Monday in Abuja. The hearing focused on multiple glitches during the exam, which included candidates in some areas taking the English Language paper as late as 9 p.m. under poor lighting conditions.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Oboku Oforji (PDP-Bayelsa), expressed concern over the situation, emphasizing that parents and Nigerians deserved clear explanations. “We owe them a duty of care. Monies were appropriated by the parliament for the conduct of these examinations, so we must understand what caused this poor handling,” he said.
Oforji stressed that the committee’s intention is not to overreact but to uncover both immediate and underlying causes of the failure, with the hope of preventing future occurrences. He added that the poor conduct had sparked widespread public condemnation and raised questions about the integrity and organization of WAEC.
Responding to the committee, Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of WAEC in Nigeria, apologized to Nigerians, parents, candidates, and other stakeholders for the problems experienced during the exams. He attributed the glitches mainly to logistical challenges caused by the urgent need to replace leaked exam questions.
Dr. Dangut explained that WAEC’s printing press was operating at only 50 percent capacity, which forced the council to outsource printing to external vendors. This outsourcing reportedly led to the leak, prompting last-minute printing of new question papers. The distribution of these papers had to be carried out overnight, which was complicated by vehicle breakdowns and difficult terrain.
He also dismissed some reports that candidates were denied access to food and refreshments during the long exam hours, saying that WAEC, in collaboration with schools and parents, provided alternative sources of light such as rechargeable lamps, torches, candles, and mobile phone lights to affected candidates.
The WAEC official confirmed that an investigation is ongoing and promised legal action against anyone found responsible for the leaks and logistical failures. He also assured that investments had been made to bring the internal printing press to full capacity to prevent a repeat of the situation.
The committee chairman later urged WAEC to implement strong measures to avoid a recurrence of the embarrassing situation. He said, “This is a serious matter that calls for proper planning and accountability. Our candidates deserve better.”
Exam malpractice and logistical challenges have long been issues in Nigeria’s education system, often affecting the credibility of national exams such as WASSCE. The recent glitches, however, brought these problems into sharp focus, with many questioning the preparedness of WAEC to handle such a critical examination smoothly.
As the investigation continues, parents, students, and education stakeholders await further explanations and hope the findings will lead to improved conduct of future exams. The House of Representatives committee is expected to submit a full report soon, recommending necessary reforms to safeguard the integrity of the examination process.
In the meantime, WAEC has been charged to prioritize transparency, efficiency, and the welfare of candidates during exams to restore public confidence in the examination system.
