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(Published by the Sunday Tribune on 7 June 2026)
Errors encountered by students from various regions during the May/June WAEC (West African Examinations Council) exams in 2025 have highlighted significant concerns within the exam body. Delays in the delivery of exam papers to schools and extended waiting times for students before they could start exams signaled that WAEC was struggling to fulfill its responsibilities. Although this was the first time such widespread problems had occurred, parents, guardians and students chose to forgive WAEC, trusting in its guarantees that future exams would go off without a hitch. However, this year, the vast irregularities affecting schools, students and teachers have revealed that the promises made last year have been dashed.
Once again the signs were clear. On 13 May 2026, a few days before the start of the exams, workers at WAEC, under the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), initiated a three-day industrial action demanding better working conditions. Media reports indicated that workers picketed WAEC offices nationwide, including the national headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, to press their demands. Kayode Ogunyade, president of the NASU WAEC chapter, said at the start of the strike that “the protest is to advance our demands and bring management back to the table,” stressing that the action was intended to highlight the growing frustration of workers.
Although the strike was called off three days later, with the WAEC assuring the public of a smooth examination for May/June 2026, the workers’ warnings were clear. Reports began to emerge that the WAEC exams were once again plagued by serious problems. Last year, some centers conducted exams until midnight; this year the situation was even worse. A school with 100 students scheduled to take a math test received only 20 questionnaires. The investigators had no choice but to group the students together and ask them to share a single questionnaire per group, a scandalous situation that no one could have predicted.
Additionally, there were significant delays in handling various documents. For example, physics papers scheduled between 2pm and 5pm on Monday did not end until 10pm in some parts of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states. The same delays occurred during the general mathematics exam on Wednesday, with the objective test not finishing until 10 p.m. Students who were supposed to take the Agricultural Science course on Thursday were forced to start the exam, which was supposed to start at noon, at 7pm. This prompted the Oyo State Government to release a statement titled: “Oyo Government Expresses Concern Over WAEC Delays in the Conduct of the Year 2026 Examination.” In this statement, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, quoted his Education counterpart, Hon. Olusegun Olayiwola, expressing government’s disappointment at what he described as “the stress, anxiety and avoidable risks candidates were exposed to due to the delay in the commencement of some examination papers, contrary to the approved WAEC timetable”.
The statement further noted: “In particular, government (objective) and agricultural science (practical) question papers reportedly did not reach many centers before approximately 6.30 pm, making it difficult for candidates to take the exams as scheduled and exposing them to unnecessary hardship.
“Honourable Olayiwola also disclosed that as of 8.11pm, some examination centers in Ogbomoso and Saki were still conducting the government paper (Objective), while the agricultural science practical examination, which was supposed to follow, was yet to begin.
“The Commissioner noted that a similar issue occurred on 3 June 2026, when mathematics (Objective) question papers were allegedly supplied in insufficient quantities to several centres, resulting in delays that extended examination activities late into the night.”
The constant display of ineptitude by the WAEC, year after year, suggests that the examining body is overwhelmed by its responsibilities or that its employees are fatigued. Workers have already expressed dissatisfaction with the organisation’s inadequate welfare offerings, and it is no surprise that vetting processes have worsened. What is unclear is whether WAEC can legitimately withhold results from exam halls where students finished writing at midnight or where five or six students had to share a single question paper. If something unfortunate happens during the response process, who should be blamed? WAEC, the schools or the students? It’s hard to assign blame in this situation. Therefore, if WAEC cannot improve the quality of our examinations and accurately assess the academic abilities of our students, it would be best for it to step aside and allow new bodies to take over.
This brings us to another worrying issue that has emerged in the last three weeks – the abduction of students and teachers in Ahoro Esinele and Yawota villages in Oriire Local Government of Oyo State. This incident, the first of its kind in the Southwest, attracted national and international attention. The launch of the Western Nigeria Safety Network (Amotekun) in Ibadan on January 9, 2020 was specifically aimed at preventing incidents like those seen in Oriire. The late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, who was the Chairman of the South West Governors Forum at the time, clearly articulated the purpose of Amotekun during a lecture at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He said that centralizing the security network in the country would not effectively protect the population and that the South West had decided to take proactive measures to ensure the safety of its citizens. Akeredolu emphasizes: “We talked about the fact that we are 200 million and today we have a police command. A nation as vast as Nigeria, what is the point? Simply ask yourself: if we had a single police command, what kind of intelligence gathering would exist other than what we have today? I would ask my brother here, who is the head of state security: is it me or is it him? The answer is ambiguous. Do you totally control the police? This led us to create Amotekun in this region, and we are proud. We had to take the bull by the horns, despite the opposition. We are determined not to leave our lives and properties in the hands of those who do not want to protect us.
Six years after Amotekun was founded, can we say that the group has outstayed its welcome? The answer is not simple. However, Amotekun’s failure to effectively address the various criminal activities reported across the states is a significant concern. The Oriire kidnapping incident represents a serious blow to his credibility. Several key challenges plague the corps, including funding, limited firepower and an inadequate recruiting model. While the criminals they face are armed with AK-47 rifles, Amotekun personnel are equipped with shotguns. It is baffling why state governments fail to procure sufficient numbers of AK-47 rifles and allocate them for use under strict control.
Another challenge Amotekun faces is its recruitment policy in different states. Ideally, the corps should be made up of local hunters and individuals with deeply ingrained knowledge of their communities. However, many states have opted instead to recruit “English speaking” staff. Despite their initial commitment to the establishment of Amotekun, the governors have been hesitant to recruit sufficient numbers of staff. One state, surrounded by dense forests, began with just over 300 men. Only Oyo State has approved the launch of operations with a relatively large contingent of 1,500 personnel. Today, the total number of Amotekun personnel in the five operational states stands at around 10,000, far too few considering the vast forested areas.
To effectively support conventional police forces with local intelligence, the focus should be on individuals who possess local know-how, rather than simply those who can navigate the Internet. I was informed that a state once sent a team to its local governments to recruit local hunters and people with indigenous knowledge to assist in community policing efforts for Amotekun. However, many of those who showcased their charm and native skills during the recruitment process were rejected because they could not complete the online forms.
The message to the South West governors should be clear: either run Amotekun effectively or disband the organization and leave the people to rely on the existing federal police and their shortcomings.
