By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has come under intense criticism from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, over what the student body described as “a blatant act of negligence” in the conduct of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) English Language II paper.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, NANS berated WAEC for the massive delay that marred the conduct of the English examination, which left thousands of students stranded for several hours at various centres in Osun, Lagos, and other parts of the country on Wednesday, May 28.

The examination, scheduled for 2:00 PM, reportedly did not commence until late evening in many centres, with some students writing the paper as late as 8:00 PM.

“This is not just a delay; it is a direct attack on the future of Nigerian students,” said the Zone D Coordinator of NANS, Comrade Owolewa Taiwo S.

“In many centres, students were forced to write in darkness, using torchlights. This is an inhuman and unacceptable act by an institution tasked with safeguarding the integrity of our education system.”

NANS did not stop at condemnation but reeled out a list of demands, including an immediate investigation into the cause of the delay and sanctions against those responsible for what they termed a serial failure on the part of WAEC.

The group called on the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, to institute a probe into what it described as WAEC’s persistent inefficiencies, while also appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, describing the development as a contradiction of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Particularly, the student body pointed accusing fingers at the Head of WAEC, Dr. Amos Dangut, whom they held responsible for the alleged decline in the Council’s operational efficiency and credibility.

“WAEC has become a trauma-inflicting institution,” the statement read, while citing another incident at Unity Modern School in Asaba on May 23, where students were reportedly subjected to a similar delay, writing the paper late into the night after a four-hour wait.

The Zone’s General Secretary, Comrade Oluwole Olutunde A., raised suspicion that political elements might be influencing WAEC’s operations for personal interests.

“There is a growing suspicion that political elements are manipulating WAEC operations for selfish ends,” he warned. “We say no to using students as pawns in political games.”

The association further vowed to mobilise students across all higher institutions in the Southwest for mass protests if urgent steps are not taken to address the crisis and restore sanity to WAEC’s examination processes.

“Let it be known—enough is enough,” the statement declared. “We will not remain silent while the future of Nigerian students is toyed with.”

The statement was jointly signed by the Zone’s executive members and circulated by its Public Relations Officer, Comrade Kuku Isaiah Eromidayo.