Girls Outshine Boys As WAEC Withholds 167,486 Results Of Candidates Of Debtor States, Exam Malpractices
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that candidates sponsored by state governments owing the examination body will not be able to access their 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results until the outstanding debts are paid.
WAEC did not mention the names of the affected states.
Speaking while announcing the release of the 2026 WASSCE results on Wednesday, the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, appealed to the affected state governments to settle their financial obligations to enable candidates access their results.
WAEC also withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the examination, over alleged examination malpractice. The council noted that the figure represents a decline from the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.
Dr. Dangut attributed the malpractice cases largely to the increasing use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating in some schools, adding that supervisors and invigilators found aiding malpractice have been apprehended.
The examination, conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026, had 1,213 candidates with special needs, including visually impaired and hearing-impaired candidates, while 102,708 examiners participated in the marking exercise across 88 centres.
Candidates whose results have been released can check them online through the WAEC result portal. The council also said digital certificates will be available within 48 hours after results are checked, while hard-copy certificates will be ready within 90 days.
“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues,” Dangut said.
He added that a number of supervisors and invigilators caught aiding candidates had been arrested and would be subjected to disciplinary measures through the appropriate state ministries of education.
A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually participated.
WAEC disclosed that 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent of those who sat the examination, obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The council also said 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, secured credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.
WAEC stated that 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, had their results completely processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates (5.95 per cent) were still undergoing processing.
Dangut, who described the announcement as his third and final results briefing as Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, also warned that candidates sponsored by state governments indebted to the council would not have access to their results until the outstanding debts were settled.
