By LOVETH AZODO, Lagos
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has expanded the adoption of its Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) across Nigeria, with 450 centres now participating in the digital examination system in the ongoing 2026 exercise.
Speaking today during a press briefing at the Council’s national office in Yaba, Lagos, Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Amos Josiah Dangut, described the development as a major step in modernising Nigeria’s examination process and aligning it with global best practices.
Dangut disclosed that 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination, noting that more schools embraced the CBT option this year following the success recorded during the maiden edition in 2025.
He stated that the Council had strengthened its technological infrastructure to ensure smooth conduct of the examination nationwide, stressing that all approved CBT centres were required to maintain more than one power source to avoid disruptions during examinations.
According to him, the examination system was also designed to function effectively without depending entirely on internet connectivity, a move aimed at guaranteeing stability and seamless operations across centres.
On security, Dangut acknowledged the challenges posed by insecurity in some parts of the country but assured that WAEC had intensified collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, other security agencies, state governments, and relevant stakeholders to secure examination centres and protect candidates and officials.
“We continue to engage relevant stakeholders, governments and state governments to ensure that centres are adequately secured,” he said.
The WAEC boss also warned rogue website operators and examination fraud syndicates to desist from illegal activities, insisting that the Council, in collaboration with security agencies, would track and prosecute offenders undermining the integrity of public examinations.
He further disclosed that WAEC had refined its question serialization technology to ensure that no two candidates received the same sequence of questions, as part of efforts to curb examination malpractice and strengthen credibility in the system.
Dangut added that results for the examination would be released 45 days after the last paper, while certificates would be issued within 90 days.
