Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, stated during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, May 6, that the Federal Government has insisted on moving forward with the switch to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) from 2026.
This came amid mounting concerns regarding the validity of public exams, particularly in light of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) statistics that showed more than 1.5 million of the 1.95 million applicants received scores below 200 out of 400.
He said “JAMB conducts its exam using a computer-based testing system. They’ve implemented strong security measures, and as a result, fraud or cheating has been nearly eliminated. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO.”
The minister disclosed that soon after taking office, the government had carried out a thorough evaluation of the nation’s examination procedures.
He added that by November 2025, WAEC and NECO would start moving their exams to CBT, beginning with objective papers. By May or June 2026, the full transition—including essay components—would have been completed.
He emphasised that cheating on tests not only diminishes academic merit but also deters motivated students.
“We carried out a diagnostic review of how exams are conducted nationwide. I set up a committee to investigate this, and I expect to receive their report in the coming days,” he said,
“We have to use technology to fight this fraud. There are so many ‘miracle centres’ and that is simply unacceptable. People cheat during WAEC and NECO exams and then face JAMB, where cheating is nearly impossible. That’s the disparity we’re seeing now. It’s sad,” Alausa said.
“The worst part of cheating is that it disincentivises the hard-working ones. If I’m preparing for WAEC or NECO and I know some classmates already have access to the questions, do you think I’ll still study hard?
“No, I’ll be tempted to join them. That’s how good students are corrupted, and that’s exactly what we must stop,” he added.
Reports gathered revealed that in April, the Federal Government formally instructed WAEC and NECO to fully adopt CBT for all examinations by 2026, with the Ministry of Education specifying that objective sections must transition by November 2025, with full integration of both objective and essay components by the 2026 examination cycle.
According to Alausa, The National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), NECO, and WAEC leadership had already been consulted extensively.
“By November this year, WAEC and NECO will begin CBT exams. There’s no going back on that,” he said.
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