WAEC staff begin 3-day protest over welfare concerns

Members of the staff union at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have commenced a three-day protest over unresolved welfare issues and what they described as unfair labour practices within the examination body.

The action, which commenced on Wednesday, is feared to disrupt activities at some WAEC offices as workers press management to address their demands.

The protest, which is championed by the non-academic staff union of educational and associated institutions, took-off by 8:00 a.m at the WAEC national office in Yaba, Lagos State, with parallel actions held at regional and state offices across the country.

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This is coming after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued by NASU national leadership to WAEC management over nine key demands, including alleged irregular recruitment practices and poor staff welfare conditions.

Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone are currently conducting the 2026 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools participating across Nigeria.

BusinessDay reported on Monday that Amos Dangut, the head of national office at WAEC Nigeria, promised to conduct a credible examination, assuring stakeholders that measures had been put in place to avert a recurrence of the glitches recorded in the 2025 edition.

The WAEC staff union, however, has insisted on embarking on the protest and industrial action to drive home their unresolved grievances with management.

The nine-point demands of the workers were contained in a letter issued by the NASU national body to Dangut, dated May 5, 2026.

The union warned that workers would embark on the three-day protest if management failed to address the issues within seven days.

The letter read in part, “Kindly refer to our letter on the above subject referenced NASU/EBL/88/VOL.XVIII/198 dated March 21, 2026 and your response to the same, which we shared with our branch executive officers.

“The branch executive officers have expressed concerns that the issues raised in our letter remain unresolved. These have further given rise to additional issues requiring your immediate attention.”

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Moyosola Adesina, WAEC’s head of public affairs, on behalf of the council,  has assured candidates, parents, school owners and stakeholders that the ongoing WASSCE would not be disrupted.

“The West African Examinations Council wishes to reassure candidates, parents, school owners, stakeholders and the general public of its unwavering commitment to the seamless, hitch-free and successful conduct of the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates, 2026,” she said in a statement.

The council reiterated that the examination had continued uninterrupted despite the protest by some categories of workers.

It added that it respects the rights of workers and unions to express grievances within the ambit of the law, stressing that management had taken steps to address the issues raised.

“The council, as a law-abiding organisation, respects the rights of unions and staff members to peacefully express their grievances within the ambit of the law,” it said.

WAEC further explained that the engagement of contract examination officers and assistant examination officers was part of measures to manage rising workloads and ensure efficiency across the sub-region.