By Seyi Odewale
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has unveiled stricter measures to curb examination malpractice as nearly two million candidates registered for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) across Nigeria.
Addressing journalists on Monday in Yaba, Lagos, Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Amos Josiah Dangut, said the council had introduced tougher security mechanisms, including the randomisation and serialisation of question papers, to frustrate cheating during the examination.
“We are going to randomise as well as serialise our papers to ensure that we compound the woes of perpetrators of examination malpractice,” Dangut declared.
According to him, the new arrangement would ensure that candidates no longer receive question papers arranged in the same sequence, making coordinated cheating more difficult.
Dangut disclosed that 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the 2026 examination, which began on April 21 with practical papers and will end on June 19.
Of the figure, 958,564 are male candidates, representing 48.92 per cent, while 1,001,072 are female, accounting for 51.08 per cent.
The WAEC boss also revealed that the council recorded significant growth in the adoption of the Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE), following the success of its pilot phase in 2025.
“More schools have chosen the CB-WASSCE option due to its seamless nature, alignment with global best practices, and the success of last year’s edition,” he said.
He explained that the number of schools using the computer-based format increased from fewer than 40 nationwide in 2025 to about 450 schools in 2026, while some offshore schools in neighbouring countries also embraced the innovation.
Dangut further confirmed that the National Identification Number (NIN) has been integrated into the registration process in line with federal government directives to strengthen candidate verification.
Speaking on insecurity in parts of the country, the WAEC official acknowledged the challenges of conducting examinations in volatile areas but assured that the council was collaborating with security agencies and state governments to ensure safe, hitch-free examinations.
“The council continues to partner with the Nigeria Police Force, all security outfits, and state governments to provide security for the smooth conduct of the examination,” he stated.
He disclosed that authorities in some troubled areas had been advised to relocate candidates to safer locations to avoid disruptions during the examination period.
WAEC also warned schools, supervisors, and candidates against involvement in examination malpractice, stressing that severe sanctions awaited offenders, including the decertification of schools and the prosecution of culpable officials.
The council also cautioned parents against patronising rogue websites that advertise leaked examination questions, insisting that security agencies would track and prosecute the operators of such platforms.
Dangut said results for the 2026 WASSCE would be released within 45 days after the last paper, while certificates would be issued to schools within 90 days, with digital certificates available online within 24 hours of results being released.
