‘Nigeria is finished’ – Parents lament as WASSCE candidates write English exam in darkness

Students in Nigeria were forced to write the English Language paper of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) late into the night on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, using phone torches and lanterns due to the delayed arrival of the objective section of the paper.

IDOMA VOICE gathered that while candidates had completed the essay section earlier in the day, they were left waiting for several hours before the exam officer arrived with the multiple-choice segment. In some centres, the exam reportedly didn’t end until between 8:00 pm and 11:00 pm.

One student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “We waited for hours after writing the essay. When the exam officer finally came, we had to use our phone lights and lanterns to write the objective section. It was very stressful.”

Another student added, “The exam officer didn’t give any meaningful explanation for the delay. He just came, handed over the papers, and said nothing about why he was late.”

The situation triggered panic among parents, many of whom rushed to the schools after hearing that their children were still writing exams late into the night.

A distressed parent said, “This is a national disgrace. How can children be writing exams in the bush, under darkness, at such a dangerous hour? Is this how we want to educate the future of Nigeria?”

A local community leader said accommodation had to be arranged for the exam official, who could not return home due to the insecurity in the area. “We had no choice but to let him sleep here. It was already past 11 pm, and nobody moves around at that hour. The government must intervene,” he said.

According to sources, the irregularity was not isolated, as some schools reportedly did not receive the objective section at all and were expected to complete the paper the following morning.

A teacher from one of the affected schools expressed concern over the integrity of the exam. “This kind of irregularity puts the credibility of the examination at serious risk. WAEC must address this immediately.”

Meanwhile, parents reactions have begun to flood in, with many Nigerians expressing outrage on social media.

Adedolapo Shina Aro wrote: “I heard they changed the English language questions after information got to WAEC that the 1st question paper got exposed. There are new questions altogether. Reason for the delay.”

Lillian Onuche Atulukwu commented, “God, what can be rated top notch in Nigeria? Educational system so bad, health care is bad, security is bad and more… their whole smart knowledge is looting.”

Eyewitness Uchenna Orji shared: “Saw them on my way back and was like, what’s going on here??? WAEC in the night? Like how did we get here? So many questions but no answers… Children just finished writing WAEC exams this night. Nigeria is finished.”

He added, “WAEC English Language exam ended at 8:00 PM. Just imagine the time children are going home. When you know we are in a dark country, they brought papers at 6:30 pm.”

At the time of filing this report, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is yet to release an official statement on the matter.