The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Nigeria has explained that the disruptions experienced during the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were caused by a combination of logistical, security and operational challenges.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the delays were linked to protests over the abduction of schoolchildren, the death of three WAEC officials in a road accident in Gombe State, and other operational difficulties.
The examination body was reacting to widespread complaints following delays that affected the conduct of several papers across the country last week.
On Monday, candidates reportedly spent hours waiting before sitting for the Physics Essay and Objective papers.
The situation persisted on Wednesday during the General Mathematics Objective paper and worsened on Thursday when some candidates in Oyo State reportedly completed their examinations under poor lighting conditions.
Videos that surfaced online showed students using torchlights and mobile phone flashlights to write their papers, drawing criticism from parents, teachers and other stakeholders.
The disruptions occurred amid nationwide protests organised by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) over the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states.
WAEC also suffered a major setback when three officials responsible for transporting examination materials died in a road accident along the Gombe-Yola highway. According to the council, the officials were on official duty when their vehicle collided with a truck.
The examination body said it commenced preliminary investigations immediately after receiving reports of the delays from examination centres across the country.
According to WAEC, the investigation showed that the challenges resulted from a combination of factors, including the loss of key personnel, security concerns and difficulties arising from the protests.
“First, the delay is the direct result of a devastating motor accident on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, which tragically claimed the lives of three of our dedicated personnel who were transporting sensitive examination materials interstate,” the statement said.
“This heartbreaking loss, coupled with prevailing regional security challenges, severely compromised our distribution schedule, which inadvertently led to the delayed start times.” Credit: channelstv.com
