The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transitioning the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026, citing the need to curb widespread examination fraud.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced the decision on Tuesday, addressing concerns over the integrity of public examinations. The move follows the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, which showed that over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400, raising alarm about secondary school learning outcomes.
Alausa described the UTME results as a reflection of rigorous examination standards enabled by CBT, which has significantly reduced cheating in JAMB exams. “JAMB’s computer-based system has strong security measures, nearly eliminating fraud. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO,” he said.
The minister revealed that a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s examination systems was launched upon his assumption of office. “I set up a committee to investigate how exams are conducted nationwide, and I expect their report soon,” Alausa noted.
He confirmed that WAEC and NECO will begin migrating to CBT in November 2025, starting with objective papers, with full implementation, including essay components, by May-June 2026. Alausa emphasized the role of technology in combating examination malpractice, particularly at “miracle centres” where cheating is rampant. “People cheat during WAEC and NECO, then face JAMB, where cheating is nearly impossible. That’s the disparity we’re addressing,” he said.
