WAEC Apologises For Late-Night Exam, Blames Delay On Anti-Cheating Measures

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has apologised for the delay in conducting the 2025 English Language exam on Wednesday, blaming it on stricter efforts to prevent exam malpractice.

KanyiDaily reported disturbing scenes from exam centres across Nigeria, where students were seen writing their exams in dark classrooms using flashlights and lanterns.

One of the incidents occurred in Delta State, where students reportedly started their papers late into the evening due to delays in the delivery of exam materials.

In a statement released on Thursday, May 29, WAEC admitted that the English Language Paper 2, scheduled for May 28, did not start on time in many centres.

The council’s Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the delay was largely due to the body’s efforts to protect the credibility of the exam.

“While maintaining the integrity and security of our examination, we faced considerable challenges primarily due to our major aim of preventing leakage of any paper.

“While we successfully achieved our objective, it inadvertently impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct of the examination.,” Adesina said.

According to Adesina, other challenges that contributed to the situation include transportation problems, safety concerns, and local factors in some areas that made it harder to stick to the schedule.

To avoid a repeat of this issue, the council said it is now working closely with security agencies to improve coordination and ensure exams run more smoothly going forward.

“Despite our best efforts, we encountered logistical hurdles, security concerns and sociocultural factors that negatively influenced our operations.

“In order to forestall future occurrences of this nature, the council is currently collaborating with security agencies,” the statement added.

WAEC apologised to students, parents, and schools for the inconvenience and thanked everyone for their patience and understanding during what it called a “difficult time.”

The exam body reaffirmed its commitment to fair and secure testing and promised to keep working toward academic excellence in the region.

“We recognise the importance of timely conduct of examinations and the impact of this decision on the candidates, their schools and parents, and we sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused,” Adesina added.

The 2025 WASSCE for school candidates began on April 24 and will continue until June 20.

KanyiDaily recalls that a tragic incident recently unfolded in Ibadan when a WAEC candidate was killed by a stray bullet fired by a police officer during a high-speed chase.