Secondary school students across parts of Nigeria were forced to write their English Language examination in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the dark on Wednesday night, as widespread power outages and growing insecurity marred the conduct of the exam.
According to multiple eyewitness accounts and viral videos shared on social media, the English paper, one of the most crucial subjects in the exam, was written in some centers as late as 9:45pm, with students using flashlights, lamps, and even their phone torches to complete the exam in Delta, Oyo, Benue, Osun and Ogun States.
An X user, @omolomo, posted videos and photos of what appeared to be students hunched over question papers in near-total darkness.
“This is a school WAEC center in Nigeria currently; they’re writing WAEC right now,” the user wrote.
“It is 9:42 p.m., and these students are forced to use lamps to write their English WAEC exam in total darkness.”
“This is a live picture from another school. I’m not faking it up. It’s 9:45 p.m., students are writing English WAEC in this condition.”
The English paper, initially scheduled for earlier in the day, reportedly began in some schools between 4:00pm and 7:00pm and ended in other centres around 9:00pm or later.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that delays at some centers may have been due to suspected question leaks. These claims have not been verified.
The disturbing reports have sparked widespread outrage on X (formerly Twitter), with users decrying the conditions under which students were made to write a key examination.
“Students in Nigeria are currently writing their WAEC exams under terrible conditions,” one user posted.
“Today, the English paper, which began at 8:00 p.m., is being conducted. Some students were reportedly asked to bring rechargeable lights to continue the exam. The exam is still on. This is 9:33 p.m.”
Another user condemned WAEC’s handling of the process, calling for accountability.
“WAEC is keeping teenage students for hours now, waiting like fools. Till now English papers is yet to arrive. In 2025. In Nigeria. This is beyond incompetence. It is disgraceful. Heads must roll. Someone must be held accountable. We won’t keep normalizing this madness.”
According to reports, some of the exams were conducted in zones flagged as unsafe, with students risking personal safety amid the growing threat of insecurity and poor infrastructure.
However, WAEC apologised while providing an official explanation following the outcry over students writing their English Language WASSCE paper late into the night on Wednesday in parts of the country stating that certain challenges affected the smooth and timely delivery of materials.
This is not the first time Nigeria’s national exams have come under scrutiny.
LEADERSHIP reports that in April, candidates sitting for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) were forced to leave their homes before dawn to meet 6:30am start time, often without proper transportation or security assurances.
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