The West African Examinations Council has attributed the delayed conduct of some papers in the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination to a combination of logistical and operational challenges, particularly a fatal road accident that claimed the lives of three of its officials.
WAEC disclosed this in a statement on Monday by its Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina.
Three WAEC officials died on Wednesday in a road accident along the Gombe-Yola highway following a collision involving a truck.
WAEC said the accident, which occurred while personnel were transporting sensitive examination materials across states, disrupted its distribution schedule and significantly delayed the commencement of some examinations at affected centres.
Recall that candidates who sat for the Mathematics and Agricultural Science papers last Wednesday and Thursday in several centres across Oyo, Lagos and Osun states were forced to sit their examinations late into the evening due to delays in the delivery of question papers and answer booklets.
In some centres, candidates relied on torchlights, mobile phone flashlights and solar-powered lamps to complete their papers, which began after 8 pm, while others moved outside classrooms after sunset to take advantage of available light.
According to WAEC, preliminary investigations revealed that the disruption resulted from a combination of factors, including the fatal accident, prevailing security challenges, issues surrounding the finalisation of examination modalities and the late registration of candidates.
The council stated, “The delay was caused by a combination of logistical and operational challenges, notably the direct result of a devastating motor accident on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, which tragically claimed the lives of three of our dedicated personnel who were transporting sensitive examination materials interstate.
“This heartbreaking loss, coupled with prevailing regional security challenges, severely compromised our distribution schedule, which inadvertently led to the delayed start times.
“While we mourned our fallen colleagues, our team of indefatigable staff worked around the clock to deploy emergency contingency measures to ensure that the examination was still conducted in the affected areas.”
The council further noted that the delays were compounded by challenges linked to the finalisation of examination arrangements and the late registration of candidates, which affected the timely production of examination materials.
It also noted that security concerns, including protests triggered by the abduction of schoolchildren in some areas, hampered the distribution of examination materials.
“The issues of finalising the mode of conduct of the examination and the subsequent late registration of candidates affected the timely preparation of examination materials.
“Security challenges which led to mass protests against the abduction of schoolchildren also affected the timely distribution of examination materials in spite of the council’s best efforts,” WAEC stated.
