ABUJA: The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to eliminating examination malpractice in Nigeria’s education system, announcing that the West Africa Examinations Council Nigeria and the National Examinations Council will fully transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026.
Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this disclosure during an interview on a television programme on Tuesday.
His remarks followed public concern over the poor performance in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), where over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of a possible 400.
Alausa attributed the dismal results in part to the improved integrity of JAMB’s CBT system, noting that similar levels of transparency are lacking in the West African Examinations Council, Nigeriaand National Examinations Council
JAMB has almost eliminated cheating through CBT and stringent security protocols, he said. Unfortunately, WAEC and NECO exams are still vulnerable to malpractice.
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He revealed that shortly after taking office, the Ministry conducted a comprehensive diagnostic review of examination practices nationwide. A committee was set up to investigate and propose solutions, with its report expected soon.
As part of ongoing reforms, Alausa announced that WAEC and NECO would begin administering CBT exams starting with multiple-choice papers in November 2025, and fully transition, including essay components, by May/June 2026.
We must embrace technology to tackle fraud. The rise of ‘miracle centres’ where students are helped to cheat is unacceptable, the minister said. This undermines merit and demoralizes honest students who prepare diligently.
He emphasized that the real danger of malpractice lies in its corrosive effect on student values.
When a hardworking student knows others have access to leaked questions, it discourages them. That’s how the system breeds dishonesty,” he added.
Addressing whether poor academic performance was due to inadequate enforcement or declining learning standards, Alausa said both were issues, but stressed that systemic cheating remains the root cause.
“We are improving teaching quality and leveraging digital tools to support learning from primary to secondary levels. But unless we stop widespread cheating in WAEC and NECO, the problem will persist,” he explained.
He noted that JAMB has made significant strides in curbing exam fraud and called on other examination bodies to follow suit.
“Our young people are bright and capable. It’s the corrupt environment around exams that’s failing them. We must change that.”
The Minister confirmed that the Federal Government had already engaged extensively with WAEC, NECO, the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) on the transition plan.
“By November this year, CBT exams for WAEC and NECO will begin. There’s no turning back,” Alausa stated.
This follows an earlier directive issued in April, mandating WAEC and NECO to fully adopt CBT formats by the 2026 examination cycle. Objective sections must begin by November 2025, with complete integration of essay papers by mid-2026.
WAEC has already tested the computer-based format with over 8,000 private candidates in 2023.
