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By Gabriel Dike
Following public outcry over delays in writing some subjects in the ongoing May/June 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the management of the Council on Monday cleared the air on the cause of the late conduct of the school examination.
The ongoing CB-WASSCE for school examinations experienced hiccups on Wednesday and Thursday as some candidates wrote the examination at night.
A statement on Monday signed by WAEC’s Acting Head of Public Affairs, Mrs Moyosola Adesina, acknowledged that the Council received reports concerning the delayed conduct of the WASSCE in some centres.
“Upon receipt of the reports, preliminary investigations immediately commenced to ascertain the cause(s) in order to address them and forestall a recurrence for the rest of the duration of the examination.
“It is therefore necessary to inform our valued stakeholders of our findings and the steps taken so far to ensure that the incident of delayed conduct does not occur for the rest of the conduct of the examination. The delay was caused by a combination of logistical and operational challenges,” she stated.
According to her, the delays were the direct result of a devastating motor accident on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, which claimed the lives of three of its personnel who were transporting sensitive examination materials interstate, adding that “this heartbreaking loss, coupled with prevailing regional security challenges, severely compromised our distribution schedule, which inadvertently led to the delayed start times.”
She said, despite the mourning, the staff of the Council worked around the clock to deploy emergency contingency measures to ensure that the examination was still conducted in the areas affected.
The image-maker identified other factors that caused the delay, including the issues of finalising the mode of conduct of the examination and the subsequent late registration of candidates, which affected the timely preparation of examination materials.
Adesina also explained that security challenges, which led to mass protests against the abduction of schoolchildren, affected the timely distribution of examination materials in spite of the Council’s best efforts.
“The council hereby assures the general public that it has put modalities in place to ensure that the rest of the examination is conducted hitch-free, as observed from the conduct of the examination on Friday, June 5, 2026.
“The council has enjoyed the massive support and cooperation of its stakeholders, which include the Federal and State Ministries of Education, the Nigeria Police and other security agencies who have remained worthy partners in the course of WAEC’s delivery on its mandate,” she added.
Adesina noted that WAEC remains unwavering in its commitment to maintaining the academic credibility and administrative integrity for which it is widely reputed.
