The Head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Dr Amos Dangut, has said the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) did not leak, despite concerns over glitches and logistics challenges during the exercise.
Dangut disclosed this in an interview with the Education Writers Association of Nigeria (EWAN), where he also revealed that the examination malpractice rate dropped from 9.7 per cent in 2025 to 8.59 per cent in 2026.
According to him, the decline followed the introduction of innovations, including the randomisation and serialisation of examination questions, which he said had made malpractice more difficult.
He attributed some of the controversies surrounding the examination to misconceptions about the changes introduced by WAEC, particularly the transition towards Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE).
“This very year, I can confidently tell the whole world that the WAEC examination did not leak,” Dangut said.
He said the absence of leakage also affected websites and online platforms involved in examination malpractice, which he alleged had contributed to the controversies surrounding the examination.
On reports that some candidates sat for examinations until late at night in parts of Oyo, Osun and Kwara states, Dangut attributed the challenges partly to delays in registration and changes in the examination format.
He said registration, which was expected to have been concluded in late 2024, was not completed until April 2026, affecting the council’s preparations, printing and other logistical arrangements.
Dangut also said the Federal Government had initially directed examination bodies to conduct achievement tests using computer-based testing, prompting WAEC to prepare for a wider deployment of CB-WASSCE.
However, he said the council received a formal directive in late April to conduct the examination in the mode eventually used, forcing adjustments to its earlier plans.
According to him, more than 25,000 schools registered for the 2026 WASSCE, while about 200 schools opted for the computer-based examination.
He said WAEC’s long-term plan remained to expand CB-WASSCE, particularly in urban and semi-urban schools with the necessary facilities, while rural schools without adequate technology would continue to require alternative arrangements.
Dangut also linked some delays in examination centres to a protest by teachers over the abduction of students and teachers, saying supervisors had temporarily downed tools during the incident.
He, however, insisted that the logistical challenges did not affect candidates’ results.
On concerns that some candidates who performed well in UTME and international examinations recorded unexpectedly low WASSCE grades, Dangut said performance in different examinations could not be directly compared because the examinations serve different purposes and use different assessment approaches.
He explained that UTME is primarily a ranking and aptitude test, while WASSCE assesses what candidates have learnt based on the WAEC curriculum.
The HNO advised candidates preparing for WASSCE to study the council’s syllabus, Chief Examiners’ Reports and other official preparation materials.
Dangut also confirmed that WAEC had released the results of candidates with special needs, including visually impaired candidates, although he said he did not have the exact percentage of such candidates available at the time of the interview.
On concerns over the accuracy of WASSCE results and calls for independent reviews before results are released, Dangut said WAEC follows standard assessment procedures and had taken additional measures to improve the marking process.
He disclosed that certificates of examiners were verified before they were allowed to participate in the marking of the 2026 examination.
He acknowledged that human marking could involve some level of subjectivity but said candidates and schools who were dissatisfied with their results could apply for a review.
Dangut disclosed that the review currently costs about ₦6,000 per script, adding that the outcome could lead to an increase or decrease in a candidate’s score.
He further explained that WAEC would address cases where an official error was established, while noting that many complaints received after the release of results might not ultimately be linked to marking errors.
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