The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has attributed the recent delayed conduct of some papers in the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates to a fatal road accident involving staff, logistics disruptions, and security challenges.
The clarification follows reports that candidates in parts of Southwestern Nigeria were kept at examination centres until late hours, with some papers, including Mathematics and Agricultural Science, starting several hours behind schedule.
Parents, school owners, and education stakeholders had expressed concern that the situation exposed students to insecurity risks, especially in areas already grappling with heightened security tensions.
In a statement issued by its head of Public Affairs Department, Moyosola Adesina, WAEC said it “received with deep concern” reports of the delays and immediately began investigations into their cause.
WAEC maintained that it “remains unwavering in its commitment” to safeguarding the academic credibility and administrative integrity of its examinations across the region.
Fatal accident disrupted logistics chain
According to the Council, one of the major factors was a “devastating motor accident” on June 3, 2026, which claimed the lives of three staff members transporting examination materials across states.
WAEC said the incident significantly disrupted its logistics chain, compounded by prevailing security challenges and protests linked to school abductions in some parts of the country, which it said affected the movement and distribution of examination materials despite efforts by the Council.
It also cited operational issues, including late registration of candidates and challenges finalising arrangements for the conduct of the examination, which further affected the timely preparation and distribution of materials.
Despite the disruptions, WAEC said its staff activated emergency contingency measures to ensure the affected papers were still conducted.
“While we mourned our fallen colleagues, our team worked around the clock to deploy emergency measures to ensure the examination was conducted in affected areas,” the Council said.
Assurance to candidates and stakeholders
WAEC assured stakeholders that measures had been put in place to prevent a recurrence of the disruption for the remainder of the examination.
It noted that the examination conducted on Friday, 5 June, proceeded without similar incidents, adding that it remained committed to ensuring a hitch-free continuation of the WASSCE.
“The Council hereby assures the general public that it has put modalities in place to ensure that the rest of the examination is conducted hitch-free,” the statement reads while it expressed appreciation to education ministries, security agencies, and other partners, including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), for their cooperation in managing the conduct of the examination.
