By Gabriel Dike
The management of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says the council does not have any exams on Friday, May 30, 2025.
WAEC Head of National Office (HNO), Dr. Amos Dangut, told Daily Sun that based on the released international timetable, no exam is scheduled for Friday, May 30th.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday declared Friday, May 30th, as Biafra Day and warned WAEC not to conduct any examination on that date.
Last year, the group threatened to disrupt the May/June 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the entire South East.
The threat forced schools and state governments to adopt measures, such as WASSCE candidates sleeping in the schools and houses of relations to enable them to write General Mathematics.
Dr. Dangut was silent on why WAEC did not fix any exam on May 30th, insisting that he was not part of those who prepared the exam timetable.
On whether it was an IPOB 2024 threat that forced the council not to fix exams on May 30, the HNO simply said, “I don’t know. It is an international timetable.”
The international timetable indicates that some WAEC member countries would write English Language Oral and Crop Husbandry on Friday, May 30th, and candidates in Nigeria do not write the papers.
On April 17, while briefing the media, the HNO said the ongoing WASSCE would hold between Thursday, April 24 and Friday, June 20, 2025, with a total of 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools writing the examination.
The WAEC boss revealed that 979,228 candidates are males, representing 49.63%, while 994,025 candidates are females, which is 50.37% of the total candidature.
According to the HNO, the candidates would be examined in 74 subjects, made up of 196 question papers.
Dangut said about 26,000 practising senior secondary school teachers, nominated by various Ministries of Education, would participate in the examination as supervisors.
On insecurity, Dangut said the council cannot feign ignorance of the level of insecurity in the Country, adding, “Several incidents have been recorded across the Country during the conduct of WASSCE over the years.
“For instance, in a particular geopolitical zone, last year, during the conduct of WASSCE for school candidates, 2024, there was a threat to a particular subject, but everything was later brought under control.
“Conducting examinations in such situations has been challenging, though surmounted.
“The Council has continued to partner with the Nigeria Police Force through the Inspector General of Police and the various State governments to provide adequate security to ensure the smooth and hitch-free conduct of the examination.
“In this regard, the Council remains grateful to State Governments for their partnership and collaborative efforts throughout the conduct of WASSCE and in the Council’s ongoing war against the menace of examination malpractice.”