The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has condemned the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) over the delay in administering the English Language paper during the ongoing Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations, describing it as a threat to student safety and a failure in examination integrity.
The exam, originally scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, was postponed to between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., reportedly due to question paper leakage. NANS, in a statement released Thursday by its National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa, said the rescheduling demonstrated “a shocking level of insensitivity” by the examination body.
“The decision to hold examinations at such late hours not only endangers students, many of whom must navigate unsafe routes to and from examination centres, but also disrupts their psychological preparedness,” Ajasa stated.
According to NANS, the development is particularly concerning for students in rural communities, who often face logistical and security challenges. The students’ body held WAEC responsible for failing to uphold basic standards of professionalism, and it criticised the council’s inability to prevent recurring examination leakages.
“This repeated leakage of examination questions is a clear indication of systemic failures in WAEC’s security operations,” Ajasa said. “It tarnishes the credibility of our educational system and unfairly burdens Nigerian students already facing numerous obstacles.”
NANS called on WAEC to identify and punish those responsible for the leak and to implement stricter security protocols. The association also demanded a public apology from WAEC and urged the council to ensure the safety of students leaving exam centres late.
“The academic future of our students must not be jeopardised by administrative inefficiencies,” NANS said. “We will not hesitate to escalate this matter if decisive action is not taken.”
The incident comes as concerns over examination malpractice and infrastructural inadequacies continue to cast shadows over Nigeria’s education system.
