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The House of Representatives has ordered WAEC to appear within 24 hours over disturbing SSCE exam irregularities.
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Lawmakers are alarmed by reports of students writing exams in pitch darkness and late into the night.
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WAEC’s failure to attend a scheduled hearing has triggered threats of constitutional enforcement by the House.
In a rare show of urgency and legislative authority, Nigeria’s House of Representatives has demanded the immediate appearance of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) following reports of chaos, mismanagement, and alleged abuse during the ongoing Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
WAEC is accused of presiding over widespread disarray, including candidates being forced to sit for exams late into the night—some reportedly as late as midnight—in near or total darkness across several centres nationwide.
On Thursday, May 29, 2025, the House Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies, led by Chairman Oboku Oforji, issued a 24-hour ultimatum for WAEC to appear before lawmakers by Friday, May 30.
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This action was prompted by WAEC’s refusal to attend an earlier scheduled meeting with the committee, despite alarming public reports and prior notification. The examination body claimed it was occupied with ongoing exams and could not be present.
But lawmakers were not convinced.
“We invited WAEC to explain the problems being reported, including students writing exams as late as midnight in some centres,” said Oforji.
The committee expressed deep concern about several disturbing trends: delayed examination scripts, inadequate lighting, late-night sessions, and the general collapse of the standard WAEC protocol.
“These irregularities are happening under their watch, and the public deserves answers,” Oforji said sternly.
He stressed that the House was not on a witch-hunt, but rather determined to uncover what went wrong.
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He said: “This level of confusion during national exams is unheard of. WAEC has conducted exams for years, but we’ve never seen this kind of disorganisation.”
The committee warned that failure to comply with the latest summons would prompt the invocation of constitutional powers to compel WAEC’s attendance—a legal move rarely enforced but fully within the legislature’s mandate.
Oforji made it clear that the priority was to protect Nigerian students and restore credibility to the examination process.
“The ultimate goal is the protection of students and the assurance that such challenges do not recur in future examinations,” he concluded.
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