Outrage as delayed WAEC papers force candidates to sit exams late into night using torchlights

The 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) began on Thursday on a troubling note across several centres in Oyo, Lagos, Ogun and Osun states, as delayed arrival of examination materials left candidates writing into the night under poor lighting conditions.

Due to the late delivery of question papers, many students were compelled to continue their exams long after scheduled times, with some centres running into late evening hours.

On Monday, candidates were said to have waited for hours before eventually writing the Physics Essay and Objective papers, originally scheduled for 2pm and 3:30pm respectively.

The disruptions continued on Wednesday, when the General Mathematics Objective paper reportedly started as late as 6:30pm in some centres and 8:30pm in others, forcing candidates to finish well after 10pm.

The situation was particularly severe in parts of Ibadan, Oyo State, where the Agricultural Science practical examination also suffered major delays. The first batch was scheduled for 2pm and the second for 3:30pm, yet some centres had not begun the exam by 8pm.

As a result, candidates were forced to write under very poor lighting conditions, with viral videos showing students using torchlights, mobile phone flashlights and solar lamps to complete their papers.

The incident has sparked widespread anger online.

Mariam Kehinde, an X user, said that as of past 8pm on Thursday, her sister was still at the exam centre.

“What exactly is happening in this country sef? My sister left for her WAEC exam since morning and still hadn’t returned home,” she wrote.

“She called around 6pm saying their exam paper had just arrived at that time nitori olorun. She was still at the exam centre, and my mum even had to wait.”

Another user, Adedeji Adeyinka, described the situation as deeply concerning.

“Candidates writing Government completed the Theory paper and were instructed to wait for the Objective paper, only for the question paper to arrive more than FOUR HOURS later,” he posted.

“How is this acceptable in a national examination? Even more shocking was the situation faced by students writing Agricultural Science Practical. An examination scheduled for 2:00 p.m. did not commence until about 9:00 p.m. in many parts of Oyo State.

“A seven-hour delay is not a minor inconvenience. It is a systemic failure.”

Another user, Mum Ire, also complained about shortages of question papers during Wednesday’s Mathematics exam.

“Out of 75 candidates, only 35 Mathematics question papers were brought to the examination centre for the entire exam yesterday,” she wrote on Thursday.

“When did WAEC start operating like this?

“Now we are being told that the Agriculture Science practical questions are on the way at 8:10 pm.”

Joel Abodunrin also criticised the shortage of materials.

“WAEC’s been doing well until today,” he wrote on Wednesday.

“An examination hall of about 250 candidates and having Mathematics question papers for only 120.

“Getting to tear the questions into pieces so that all could have something to do.”

Hakeem Olaoye said candidates were made to write at unreasonable hours.

“WAEC exam being conducted late in the evening.

“The Agric practical exam that was supposed to be held by 2pm just commenced some minutes after 7pm,” he wrote.

“Very disheartening indeed. Likewise for Mathematics. A school with 130 students was given 16 question booklets to share among.”

The situation has raised fresh concerns about candidate safety amid growing security challenges in the country.

Speaking to TheCable, Moyosola Adesina, head of public affairs at WAEC Nigeria, said the examination body would soon release an official statement addressing the complaints.

‘IT’S APPALLING AND DANGEROUS’

Reacting, Akinteye Azeez, president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), described the development as unacceptable and dangerous.

“It is both appalling and condemnable that young Nigerians, who had already endured months of preparation and the mental rigours associated with external examinations, were subjected to unnecessary hardship by being kept at examination centres far beyond reasonable hours,” he said.

“No examination procedure, administrative challenge, or operational deficiency should come at the expense of the safety and fundamental rights of students.”

He added that the situation was more worrying because it occurred in the south-west, a region facing security concerns.

“What makes this development even more alarming is the fact that it occurred within the South-West region, a zone that has, in recent times, witnessed incidents of kidnapping, crime and other security challenges,” he said.

“Against this backdrop, it was grossly irresponsible for examination authorities to permit circumstances that left students stranded or lingering at examination centres late into the night, thereby exposing them to potential danger.”

NANS called for a full review of WAEC’s logistics and contingency planning to prioritise student safety, welfare and rights.

“Students must never become victims of administrative failures, poor planning or institutional negligence,” he added.

The 2026 WASSCE began on April 21 and is scheduled to end on Friday, June 19.