Education
Four in Police Custody over Sale of Leaked WASSCE Exam Questions
By Dipo Olowookere
Four persons have been arrested in Ondo, Edo and Osun States for selling leaked WASSCE May/June, 2018 Examination questions to candidates writing the examination.
The suspects, accused of retailing the exam questions on websites and whatsapps platforms, were apprehended by operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RSS).
According to the security operatives who napped them, the suspects are Samuel Kayode, 28-year-old from Ondo State; Adebayo Ifeoluwa, 17-year-old from Osun State; Alayande Ahmed; and Elusode Festus, 20 years from Edo State. They were all arrested in their respective states.
Samuel Kayode, a part time teacher in two secondary schools in Ilesa, Osun State, disclosed that he also taught Physics and Mathematics in a private tutorial class where he assisted candidates planning to write the WASSCE examination with questions already prepared answers for them.
According to Samuel, after working as a tutorial teacher for seven years, he got a part-time employment in two private schools in Ilesa, where he also helped students preparing for WASSCE with leaked questions and prepared answers, adding that he did this to make a living.
“I got a part-time teaching job when I couldn’t secure a government teaching job after graduating from college of education. When I couldn’t settle for the little salary I was being paid by my employers, I decided to help myself with what I had been doing as a tutorial teacher by helping lazy students source for WASSCE examination questions and answers via some online platforms that deal in the illegal business.
“After registering candidates in their various centers, I then liaise with some anonymous people who we call ‘Web Masters’. The Web Masters have insiders in various examination boards in the country with leaked questions paper and buy such from them,” he explained.
“There are many websites operated by the Web Masters, where leaked WASSCE questions and prepared answers are sold to subscribing candidates. Some of these websites include; www.examloaded.com, www.guruscamp.com, www. ceebook.net, www. Solutionclass.com and www.expotab.com.
“They also hawk NECO, GCE and JAMB examinations papers with answers”, he added.
He explained further that, “The contact person on Web Master is called ‘Dan’ who doesn’t pick calls but only deals on text messages and WhatsApp messages. Mr Dan usually sells answers via WhatsApp or issues a quick login password that can be issued on the website and immediately redirect the user to the page where the already prepared answers are.
“I then retail the answers bought from Mr Dan to candidates who I coordinate carefully on a WhatsApp platform named ‘WAEC VIP’ where they patiently wait to receive the answers to the question after sending to me a N400 recharge cards of any network.
“I demand for N400 recharge card from each candidates for general subject while I charge N800 for Mathematics and English language”
In his own confession, Adebayo Ifeoluwa, 17 years and 200 level Accounting student of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) said he sold leaked WASSCE examination questions and answers to a group on WhatsApp called ‘MCC’ where candidates payed a recharge card of N400 to get examination questions and answers.
“Sometime this year, just before the on-going WASSCE examination, I belonged to a sports betting WhatsApp group where we forecast results of games. One of the members therein sent a broadcast about how to get WASSCE questions and left a WhatsApp link which I joined before thinking of creating my own ‘MCC’ after a thoughtful assumption of how profitable the venture looks”.
Also, Elusode Festus from Ekpoma in Edo State failed school certificate examination before becoming an apprentice at a Welding and metal fabrication shop, also chose the retailing of leaked WASSCE questions and answers as a side hustle.
The 22 year Elusode said he got to know about the deal on a website where he downloaded songs before a pop up advert asked anyone who wants to receive exam result to click, which he did and also registered on the platform so as to start the retailing of the answers among candidates in the area.
On his own part, Alayande Ahmad, said “I got to know about WASSCE questions and answers racketeering on a website after dropping out of secondary at SS2 due to lack of funds but I promised to assist my friends who were preparing to sit for WASSCE at all cost.
I contacted an admin on a WhatsApp group where answers were being sold to candidates who registered with him after sending to him a N400 recharge card. The subscribers receive questions and answers few hours before their examination”.
Parading the suspect, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Imohimi Edgal advised parents to monitor their wards preparing for examination instead of indulging them in examination malpractices.
The suspects have been transferred to the State CID for further investigations.
This arrest came after Punch newspaper published an article revealing how some candidates register with some websites to get questions and answers of WASSCE exam before sitting for it.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has suspended the proposed review of registration fees for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The Federal Ministry of Education made the announcement on Monday in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs Boriowo Folasade.
The ministry announced that the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated June 18, 2026, has been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders before a final decision is taken.
The Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, directed that the proposal be placed on hold, with the Ministry acknowledging the concerns and constructive feedback received from the public since the planned increase became known.
The Ministry said the proposed fee review was driven by rising operational costs that have accumulated over several years without a corresponding adjustment to examination registration fees.
It said the current fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite significant increases in costs covering logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment, quality assurance and other services required to maintain the integrity of public examinations.
“The proposed review was informed by the prevailing economic realities and the rising cost of conducting credible national examinations,” the statement said.
“The current examination registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite significant increases in operational costs,” the Ministry added.
The ministry said the proposed fee hike will no longer take effect as earlier planned, while acknowledging that the concerns raised by Nigerians warranted a pause in the process.
“The proposed review of examination registration fees will not take effect, as earlier communicated, pending the conclusion of the consultation process,” the statement confirmed, adding that the June 18 letter conveying the proposed adjustment has been formally withdrawn.
“This decision underscores the Ministry’s determination to ensure that policies affecting millions of Nigerian students and their families are carefully considered, socially responsive and reflect the collective interest of the nation,” it said.
The Ministry outlined a fresh stakeholder engagement process that must be concluded before any decision on examination fees is made, signalling that the review has been delayed rather than permanently shelved.
The Ministry said it will engage extensively with examination bodies, state ministries of education, school proprietors and administrators, parents’ associations, organised labour and other education stakeholders as part of the renewed consultation process.
It said the goal of the consultation is to ensure that any future decision is “fair, sustainable, transparent and responsive to prevailing realities while safeguarding access to education,” framing the suspension as a course correction rather than an outright reversal of policy intent.
“The Ministry acknowledges the concerns and constructive feedback received from the public and appreciates the keen interest shown by Nigerians in matters relating to access to quality education,” the statement read.
The Ministry assured Nigerians it would keep the public fully informed throughout the consultation process, saying the welfare of students and equitable access to quality education “remain at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the education sector.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The examination fees of Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) have been increased by the federal government by about 82 per cent to N50,000 from N27,500.
A circular signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Adeniji Ibrahim, disclosed that the new fees would become effective in 2027.
In the notice, it was disclosed that the government approved the upward review of the fees following a request by WAEC.
It was further disclosed that the decision to jack up the fees was reached after a March 31, 2026, meeting between the Minister of Education and examination bodies, where the need to review examination fees was discussed.
“You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the Minister of Education on March 31, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fees was discussed, the Minister directed that WAEC and NECO should adopt a uniform fee for the conduct of WAEC and NECO SSCE,” the statement read.
“Consequently, I am directed to convey the Minister of Education’s approval of the sum of N50,000 only, as the new examination fee per candidate, with effect from NECO SSCE (Internal), 2027,” it added.
**Modibbo Adama University Emerges Grand Prize Winner, Secures N50m
A leading integrated independent exploration and production company with full-cycle upstream delivery capability, FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P), has reaffirmed its commitment to developing Nigeria’s next generation of engineers.
This commitment was highlighted during the grand finale of the maiden edition of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event recognised outstanding student innovators whose engineering solutions addressed real-world challenges, marking the culmination of months of regional qualifiers, prototype development, mentorship and boot camp sessions that equipped students from universities and polytechnics across Nigeria with practical skills in engineering, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Olympiad attracted 984 participants across 375 teams from more than 80 tertiary institutions representing all six geopolitical zones of the country.
Delivering the sponsor’s address, the General Manager, Engineering and Capital Projects, FIRST E&P, John Alamu, emphasised that the competition reflects the company’s commitment to equipping students with the practical knowledge and innovative mindset required to excel in engineering and strengthen Nigeria’s future workforce.
Alamu, noting that initiatives such as the Engineering Olympiad provide a structured platform for young talent to transform innovative ideas into practical solutions that contribute to the country’s technological and industrial advancement, stated that, “FIRST E&P believes that developing STEM capacity is an investment in this country’s ability to solve its own problems. The Nigerian Engineering Olympiad has taken young engineers and taught them to think beyond the drawing board, and FIRST E&P is proud to have been a funding partner for this initiative. I commend NCDMB for championing the Olympiad and Enactus Nigeria for successfully delivering a platform that is helping shape the next generation of Nigerian engineers and innovators.”
In his address, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Acting Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Silas Ajimijaye, expressed appreciation to FIRST E&P for their unwavering support in successfully delivering the Olympiad.
Ajimijaye added that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy, which aims to build indigenous engineering capacity and equip young Nigerians with the knowledge and skills needed to drive industrial competitiveness, technological advancement, and sustainable national development.
The competition concluded in the awarding of prizes, with Team Mavericks of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Adamawa State, winning the grand prize of N50 million and a Centre of Excellence building for its Faculty of Engineering.
The team’s winning innovation, Ubuntu Sapphire, is a community-powered rapid alert system that uses affordable devices to instantly notify neighbouring households and emergency responders during emergencies, offering a practical solution aimed at strengthening community security and emergency response infrastructure.
Speaking after receiving the award, Team Lead, Dr David Patrick, expressed gratitude to the organisers and sponsors for providing a platform that fostered innovation and practical learning.
The University of Ibadan emerged as the first runner-up, receiving N30 million and N75 million worth of engineering equipment for its Faculty of Engineering. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, secured third place and was awarded N20 million and N50 million worth of engineering equipment. The University of Jos finished fourth, receiving N10 million.
