Atiku Urges WAEC to Offer Resit Exams for Students Affected by Late-Night Schedules

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticized the conditions in which some students sat for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), describing it as a "national disgrace."

In a statement released on Thursday, Atiku reacted to viral reports showing students writing exams at night in poor conditions, including dark classrooms with no electricity. He said the situation reflects a deep failure in Nigeria’s education system.

“The news of students writing WAEC exams in total darkness and in environments not fit for learning is shameful,” Atiku said. “What makes it worse is that it happened just a day after International Children’s Day, a time meant to celebrate and protect our young people.”

He went further to say, “This is more than just a bad incident. It shows how broken our education system is. It's completely unacceptable that in this modern day, our children are treated like they don’t matter.”

Atiku urged the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to let students who were affected by the poor conditions retake the exam, especially the English Language paper, saying not doing so would be unfair to those students whose futures depend on the results.

He added, “This should be a wake-up call for Nigeria. We must invest more in basic infrastructure, especially in schools. Enough of the talk, it’s time for real action.”

Atiku also pointed out that while students are expected to prepare well for their exams, it is the government’s duty to provide a safe and proper environment. He said it would be wrong for students to suffer due to the system’s failure.

To prevent future problems, he advised education authorities to create and enforce minimum standards for exam centers nationwide. “We must make sure this never happens again. Our children deserve better,” he concluded.

Earlier, several videos went viral on social media showing students writing the WASSCE English Language paper late at night, using phone flashlights and lanterns due to lack of electricity. One incident occurred at Government Secondary School, Namnai in Taraba State, where students barely escaped injury after a storm damaged the classroom.

WAEC explained that the late-night exams were part of efforts to fight exam malpractice, especially the leaking of questions.

However, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) condemned the shift of the exam from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., calling it “insensitive” and dangerous for students, especially in rural areas. NANS also blamed WAEC for poor internal security and said students should not be punished for the council’s inability to stop cheating.