For millions of Nigerian students, a West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate remains the gateway to higher education and employment.
However, in recent years, the examination body has found itself battling growing public distrust fueled by result delays, technical glitches, examination malpractice, and mounting concerns over its transition to computer-based testing.
As pressure mounts on the institution to protect its credibility and modernise its operations, all eyes are now on Amos Dangut, head of the national office at WAEC-Nigeria.
The question many stakeholders are asking is whether he can steer Nigeria’s foremost examination body out of crisis and restore confidence in a system many believe is under strain.
Dangut, who assumed on October 2, 2023, has been battered with a complex set of service-delivery challenges that affect students, schools, parents, and the credibility of examinations in Nigeria, is seen navigating the murky waters strategically.
The battles in WAEC are rooted in infrastructure gaps, examination malpractice, administrative inefficiencies, digital transition problems, and public trust issues, among others.
Over the years, the council faced issues such as question paper leakages before examinations, collusion between candidates and invigilators, and the use of mobile devices for cheating, among others.
Recently, the staff union at WAEC embarked on a three-day protest over welfare concerns. Industry experts believe that poor welfare concerns in workplaces fuel corruptible tendencies among the staff. s
In the face of these maladies, WAEC has made some remarkable achievements to add value to education in Nigeria.
Dangut recently revealed to stakeholders that the council has started implementing a digital certificate, which, according to him, is accessible worldwide for candidates from 1999 to date.
The council also have in place robust computer-based test services at the WAEC Testing and Training Centre, Ogba, and Aptitude Tests Department, Yaba-Lagos.
The head of Nigeria’s national office explained that WAEC now has a digital examiners’ marks system (Digital EMS), which provides a secure platform for the capturing of candidates’ marks by examiners at the marking venues and real-time monitoring by the council.
As part of its efforts to curb examination malpractice, WAEC has introduced an examination malpractice portal, waecinternational.org/complaints for candidates to make representations.
Besides, the council introduced chief examiners’ reports, a post-examination document created by WAEC senior examiners that analyse candidates’ performance, identifying their strengths, common weaknesses, and key mistakes in examination answers.
Meanwhile, Dangut has promised that the results of the computer-based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2026, will be released 45 days after the last paper, while certificates will be printed and issued to schools within 90 days.
Chris Nmeribe, a school owner in Lagos, said the council in the last three years has shown noticeable improvement in its services, especially in digitalisation and the timely release of results.
“The introduction of online result checking, digital certificates, and electronic verification has made access to WAEC services easier and more modern.
“In terms of exam conduct, the council has generally maintained organised examinations despite challenges such as insecurity and examination malpractice,” he said.
However, Nmeribe noted that issues such as malpractice, delays in some centres, and occasional logistical problems still occur.
He maintained that though WAEC has improved the speed of result release, through improved digital infrastructure, helping candidates meet admission and employment deadlines.
Nevertheless, he said concerns remain about withheld results, slow complaint resolution, and limited communication with affected candidates.
“Many Nigerians would rate WAEC’s recent performance as fairly good, with clear progress made but still room for improvement,” he said.
For Susan Olarenwaju, civil servant, the problem in WAEC is the corrupt staff, the leadership should first fix the integrity of the personnel in the system.
“WAEC is not actually the problem, but the people working with the leadership. I think they need a reform from within,” she said.
Ultimately, WAEC’s crisis is bigger than one institution or one registrar. It reflects the wider challenges confronting Nigeria’s education system, from weak infrastructure and digital inequality to declining public confidence in national institutions.
Yet the stakes for reform have never been higher. For millions of students, WAEC remains a critical pathway to academic and economic opportunity, making credibility and efficiency non-negotiable.
As Dangut pushes ahead with reforms aimed at strengthening examination security, improving service delivery, and modernising operations, the success of those efforts will depend not only on policy direction but also on sustained investment, transparency, and stakeholder trust. Whether WAEC emerges stronger or sinks deeper into public skepticism may ultimately shape the future of standardised testing in Nigeria for years to come.
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