• As NECO phases out traditional paper-and-pencil exams
Following the continued withholding of some results by the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State in the House of Representatives, Chinedu Ogah, yesterday said that nearly 80 per cent of Nigerian youths who sat for the exam risk gaining admission into tertiary institutions this year.
Ogah, in a statement in Abakaliki, urged WAEC to immediately release the results of candidates it withheld in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) over alleged malpractice, warning that the body was frustrating the educational dreams of young Nigerians.
Recall that the Federal Lawmaker had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to WAEC to release the results of 192,089 candidates, representing 9.75 per cent of the total candidates, withheld in connection with alleged examination malpractice in 2025 or face a N50 million suit.
According to him, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has already released its results and admissions are ongoing, but most candidates cannot secure placements because their English Language and Mathematics results remain pending.
“Putting results pending up to now is unconstitutional, and this anomaly only happens in Nigeria.
“Stakeholders, especially those who support orphans and vulnerable persons to write SSCE, are deeply unhappy with this recurring issue that is killing the hope of our young people,” Oga added.
The lawmaker cited the WAEC Act, Cap W4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, which empowers the examination body “to conduct examinations in the public interest, mark and award certificates,” stressing that the Council had no mandate to indefinitely withhold results after conducting the exams.
Ogah, who is the House Chairman on Reformatory Institutions, reminded the Council of its core mandate as contained in its establishing statute.
Ogah argued that withholding results without immediate proof of malpractice meant a breach of its mandate and a violation of the rights of candidates who sat for the examination in good faith.
MEANWHILE, the National Examinations Council (NECO) has confirmed it will phase out the traditional paper-and-pencil method. Beginning with the November/December 2025 SSCE External, all examinations will now be conducted using a full computer-based system.
The Federal Government had, in July, revealed that privately-owned CBT centres and others belonging to public institutions would be fully deployed in the conduct of the school-based SSCE by 2026.
In a statement yesterday, the council noted: “The National Examinations Council (NECO) has concluded arrangements to migrate from paper and pencil to computer-based examination, starting from the 2025 November/December Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) External.”
To ensure a smooth rollout, NECO has invited “interested Computer-Based Centre Operators” across the country to apply for registration, subject to strict technical, infrastructural, and security requirements.
The examination body confirmed releasing its detailed guidelines on hall requirements, system standards, and security measures. Among the mandatory specifications, each centre must have “a minimum of 150 functional computer systems/laptops with 10 per cent backups,” robust servers, cubicles of specific dimensions, air-conditioned halls, CCTV surveillance with IP cameras, and reliable internet signals from MTN or Airtel.
The council also stressed that “make-shift CBT centres are not allowed; all centres must therefore be dedicated CBT centres that are used and maintained as such all year round.”
On security and integrity, NECO mandated that CBT staff must be of high moral standing: “The CBE centre personnel (including technical staff) should be dependable and trustworthy.
“They are to be men of high integrity who can ensure the credibility of the examination process.”
