‘This Is a Night Vigil, Not an Exam’ – Nigerians Slam WAEC as Students Write English Papers Late into the Night

A wave of public anger has erupted across Nigeria following reports that hundreds of students in the country were forced to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) late at night, long after the scheduled time.

Videos circulating on social media show secondary school students writing the English Language paper in the dark, hunched over their scripts under flashlights and phone torches. The exam, as stated in the official WAEC timetable, was to be held on Wednesday with the Essay paper at 8 a.m., the Objective paper at 10 a.m., and the Test of Orals at 3 p.m.

However, students in several schools in Lagos, Osun, Ogun, and Oyo States did not begin the exam until well into the evening. In some cases, students reportedly started writing as late as 7 p.m. and even 9 p.m. In Lagos, a WAEC supervisor, who spoke anonymously, confirmed that exam officials had to wait several hours for the question papers to arrive, resulting in severe delays. As of 9 p.m., some supervisors were still being dispatched to centres like Lilyfields Comprehensive College, Ejigbo, and Oke Afa Senior Comprehensive College.

Efforts to reach WAEC’s spokesperson, Moyosola Adeshina, for an official explanation have so far been unsuccessful. Calls and text messages were not returned as of the time of reporting.

On social media, Nigerians have expressed outrage over what many describe as logistical failure and gross negligence by WAEC. Users condemned the delay and criticised the examination body for subjecting teenage students to such stressful and unsafe conditions.

@kenechi\_nwosu posted: “Sadly, our last born just returned home at 8:45 p.m. from the WAEC exam… Said they started late and had to manage torch light… Is it not so shameful @waecnigeria that you lack conscience and proper logistics?”

@AmMrPlenty wrote: “WAEC is keeping teenage students for HOURS now… English papers yet to arrive. In 2025. In Nigeria. This is beyond incompetence… Someone must be held accountable.”

@MatanmiKwara added: “WAEC has outdone itself… students still waiting for English papers at 7:35 p.m.? This isn’t an exam, it’s a night vigil… WAEC’s poor planning is the real test here.”

The incident has sparked fresh debates over the need for systemic reform in the conduct of national examinations, especially as Nigeria prepares for a possible transition to computer-based testing (CBT) for WAEC and NECO exams by 2026.