West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for school candidates, raising alarm over the persistent issue of examination malpractice.
During a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, revealed that the results of 192,089 candidates—approximately 9.75% of the total—have been withheld due to suspected malpractices.
“This figure reflects a slight improvement, with a 2.17% decrease in withheld results compared to the 11.92% recorded in 2024,” Dangut noted. However, he expressed concern over the continued use of mobile phones in exam halls and the rise in organized cheating in some schools.
“These practices undermine the integrity of our educational system,” he stated, emphasizing WAEC’s zero-tolerance policy.
Investigations into the reported malpractices are underway, with affected candidates set to be informed through their schools once the council’s committee reaches a decision.
Dangut directed candidates with grievances to submit complaints via the WAEC portal at https://waecinternational.org/complaints.
The results are now accessible on WAEC’s official website, www.waecdirect.org, within 12 hours of the announcement. Candidates who have cleared all financial obligations can check their results using the PIN and serial number on their smart identity cards.
“Digital certificates will be available 48 hours after results are accessed online, while hard copies will be ready within 90 days,” Dangut added.
He also cautioned that candidates sponsored by state governments with unpaid debts would be unable to access their results until payments are settled, urging affected states to clear their dues promptly.
Dangut disclosed that 1,973,365 candidates registered for the exam across 23,554 secondary schools in Nigeria, with 1,969,313 sitting for it. The examination was also conducted for candidates in Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea using Nigeria’s senior secondary curriculum. Notably, 12,178 candidates with special needs, including 112 visually impaired, 615 hearing-impaired, 52 spastic or mentally challenged, and 37 physically challenged individuals, were accommodated, and their results have been processed and released.
Of the total candidates, 976,787 (49.60%) were male, and 992,526 (50.40%) were female. Results for 1,517,517 candidates (77.06%) have been fully processed, while 451,796 (22.94%) are still under review due to unresolved issues, with efforts ongoing to finalize these within days.
Performance statistics show that 1,718,090 candidates (87.24%) achieved credits or above in at least five subjects. However, only 754,545 candidates (38.32%) secured credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics—a 33.8% decline in performance compared to 2024. Of these, 347,192 (46.01%) were male, and 407,353 (53.99%) were female.
“We call on all stakeholders to join hands in curbing examination malpractice to safeguard the credibility of our educational system,” Dangut urged.
