• Parents kick, call for cancelation, WAEC apologises, cites leakage prevention
From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the late commencement of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) on Wednesday.
Candidates at several exam centres in Nigeria experienced delays in writing the English Language paper.
At multiple locations, the exam, scheduled to begin at 9am did not commence until midday while in some centres, the last paper did not start until nightfall, with students in Lagos reportedly still writing as late as 11:45 pm
In many of the examination centres, telephone torchlights were used as sources of illumination, just as many candidates were in darkness all through the period of the examination.
In a statement, yesterday, Atiku said it was nothing short of a national disgrace for students to sit for the examination in unfit conditions, just a day after the world marked the International Children’s Day.
He said the incident was a damning indictment of Nigeria’s systemic failure to uphold the most basic standards in public education.
“It is unacceptable, unjustifiable and utterly indefensible that in 2025, our children will be forced to write critical national exams in pitch darkness like second-class citizens.
“This incident must awaken our national conscience. It must compel immediate and sustained investment in critical social infrastructure, with education as the foremost priority, not in rhetoric but in tangible action.”
Atiku demanded that the affected paper be retaken in all compromised centres as anything less would be a grave injustice to the students.
“Examination preparedness is a shared responsibility between students and the examination authorities. In this case, it is glaringly evident that the latter had failed spectacularly in their duty. It would be utterly unjust to allow students to suffer the consequences of such gross institutional negligence,” the statement read.
“Going forward, it is imperative that relevant authorities establish and enforce minimum environmental and infrastructural standards for all high-stake national examinations. We must never allow such a shameful scenario to repeat itself, not under our watch.”
Meanwhile, WAEC has apologised for the delay.
In a statement by Moyosola Adesina, acting Head of Public Affairs Department of WAEC, the council said it encountered challenges.
“While maintaining the integrity and security of our examination, we faced considerable challenges primarily due to our major aim of preventing leakage of any paper.
“We recognise the importance of timely conduct of examinations and the impact of this decision on candidates, schools and parents and we sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused,” WAEC stated.
It said it successfully achieved its objective but it inadvertently impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct of the examination.
“In spite of our best efforts, we encountered logistical hurdles, security concerns and socio-cultural factors that negatively influenced our operations,” WAEC said.
The council reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the highest standard in examination conduct and pledged to continue to promote academic excellence.
Regardless, parents under the aegis of the National Parents Teachers’ Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) have condemned the poor conduct and called for its cancellation. It also urged WAEC to reschedule the examination at a proper time and date which will be devoid of the anomalies witnessed when the examination was held on Wednesday.
National Publicity Secretary of NAPTAN, Dr Ademola Ekundayo, in a statement, lamented the hardship the students went through, adding that parents were also put in serious turmoil as the whereabouts of their children and ward could not be ascertained on time.
Dr Ekundayo called for outright cancellation of the English Language examination held on Wednesday, as according to him, no reasonable results could come out of the examination.
“This terrible situation is unexpected and it is not acceptable by the parents. The National Parents Teachers’ Association of Nigeria condemns this and calls for immediate cancellation of the charade referred to as examination. This was not an examination but a mere jamboree and we, as parents, will not accept that.”
He called on the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene in the matter, threatening that parents all over the country would troop to the streets to demand for justice on behalf of the students who sat for the exam if justice was not done.