…A Reflection on a Nation’s Struggle for Educational Integrity
By: Theresa Moses
Twenty-four years ago, I sat for my West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) under the unrelenting heat of determination and dreams.
Like millions before and after me, I believed—still believe—that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is not just an examination body, but a gatekeeper to a future built on merit, hard work, and the dignity of honest assessment.
Today, that future is under siege.
The recent chaos that erupted after the leakage of the 2025 English Language paper—and WAEC’s decision to reprint and reschedule exams that cascaded into the night hours—is more than just a logistical blunder.
It is a loud, blaring alarm that our nation’s educational integrity is being held hostage by digital criminals: rogue website operators
These faceless profiteers have turned Nigeria’s examination periods into a cash cow, peddling fake papers and manipulating students through cyber deception. And yet, the nation’s outrage remains unfairly directed at WAEC, while the true saboteurs operate in the shadows, unchecked —escaped the spotlight.
It is time to redirect our anger. It is time to stand with WAEC.
The rise of rogue websites offering “expo” for as little as ₦1,000 per paper is not just unethical—it is criminal and a digital decay of integrity. These platforms exploit the anxieties of students, lure parents into quiet complicity, and systematically erode public trust in the value of academic success.
What began as isolated malpractice has evolved into a sophisticated criminal network that:
• Disseminates false examination materials,
• Impersonates WAEC’s official websites,
• Manipulates desperate students into parting with money for fake shortcuts.
This is not innovation. This is educational terrorism that should be dealt with.
For over seven decades, WAEC has maintained its position as Africa’s foremost examining body. It has tested and certified over 200 million candidates across the continent, ensuring that merit and knowledge—not privilege—define progress.
Yet with each exam leak, each digital scam, and each cynical finger-pointing without action, we chip away at that legacy.
WAEC has acknowledged its recent setbacks and is not without fault. But to abandon or ridicule this institution instead of defending and reforming it is to watch our future burn while we debate who lit the match.
As someone who wrote WAEC nearly a quarter of a century ago, I remember the long hours, the late-night cramming sessions, and the thrill of opening a question paper I had earned the right to face. I knew then—and I know now—that the worth of that certificate lay not in the paper itself, but in what it represented: honest effort, mental discipline, and personal triumph.
Today’s students deserve that same pride.
But how can they, when society now subtly endorses cheating as long as it guarantees a passing grade?
If we are to defeat this growing nemesis, we must recognize that WAEC is not the enemy. The enemy is our complacency.
The government must:
• Enforce cybercrime laws with real consequences for digital exam fraud.
• Fund a national cybercrime task force dedicated to protecting public examinations.
• Collaborate with tech companies to shut down illegal websites and track their operators.
Parents must:
• Reject the temptation of “help” through rogue sites.
• Reinforce the value of honesty in their children’s academic journey.
• Report suspicious platforms, not patronize them.
Educators must:
• Teach students that integrity matters more than a perfect score.
• Invest in digital literacy and ethics from the ground up.
And we, the media, must hold the mirror to society, not just WAEC.
Education is the soul of any nation’s growth. It is how we nurture doctors, engineers, leaders, and dreamers. If we allow rogue actors to turn that system into a marketplace of deceit, we risk raising a generation that knows how to cheat, but not how to think.
WAEC is not perfect. But it is worthy of our defense, of our investment, and of our collective outrage—not as scapegoats, but as allies in the battle to preserve the sanctity of learning.
Let us speak up, not just for WAEC, but for the future of education in Nigeria. Let us shield what still remains of our academic honour.
Because if we fail to fight this nemesis now, our children may one day ask why we stood by and watched their future be sold—one leaked paper at a time.
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