Atiku Slams WAEC Over Poor Exam Conditions, Reps Issue 24-Hour Ultimatum

The Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the poor conditions under which Nigerian students recently sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), describing the situation as a “national disgrace.”

Atiku’s statement follows viral reports of students taking exams in complete darkness due to lack of electricity and poor infrastructure. He described the incident as a failure of responsibility by examination authorities and called for the affected exams to be retaken at compromised centers. “It is unacceptable and unjustifiable that in 2025, our children are writing critical national exams in pitch darkness,” Atiku said. “Examination authorities have failed spectacularly in their duty, and this injustice must be corrected.” He urged authorities to enforce minimum infrastructure standards for future national examinations to ensure a dignified learning and assessment environment.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to appear before it. The summons was prompted by WAEC’s failure to honor an earlier invitation regarding widespread irregularities in the ongoing exams.

Committee Chairman, Oboku Oforji, said reports received by the House include cases of students writing exams as late as midnight, and that WAEC’s inability to appear before the committee is unacceptable given the gravity of the situation. “WAEC claims they couldn’t appear because they are conducting the exams, but that is exactly why they need to face the committee—to explain what has gone wrong,” Oforji said. Adding to the outcry, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) criticized WAEC over the delayed English Language paper, which was postponed from the morning to as late as 7 p.m. following an alleged leak of examination questions.

According to NANS spokesperson Adeyemi Ajasa, the delay showed a “gross disregard for students’ safety and well-being,” especially for those in rural areas. “Holding exams at such hours disrupts students’ psychological preparedness and puts their safety at risk,” Ajasa said. “These lapses damage the integrity of our education system and must be addressed urgently.” The series of criticisms from both political leaders and student bodies has intensified pressure on WAEC to respond and implement reforms to restore confidence in its examination processes.