Applicants who took part in the West African Examinations Council recruitment exercise on Saturday have complained of technical glitches, inaccessible examination portals and other difficulties during the computer-based aptitude test. The complaints have added fresh scrutiny to the council’s examination technology, coming amid the ongoing controversy over the 2026 WASSCE results.
Some applicants who shared their experiences on social media alleged that network failures and other technical problems disrupted the exercise. Okih Meshach said candidates who had prepared for the test were left frustrated by the reported difficulties, while others complained about being unable to access the examination platform or receiving unclear information about their scheduled tests.
An applicant posting as @PenitentBen said he missed the examination after receiving a message on September 2 informing him that the aptitude test would hold on September 5 without stating the time or venue. Others said the spreadsheet containing shortlisted candidates’ details was difficult to access, while some reported receiving “invalid details” messages when they attempted to log in.
Another applicant, @farmbookOO, said he travelled to his state capital for the test but found no WAEC officials at the venue. He claimed the website remained inaccessible around his allocated 1pm examination time and later indicated that he had already completed the process when he attempted to log in again. Adewale, posting as @Haryormikhun, similarly alleged that the website remained unavailable throughout the 40-minute test period.
However, WAEC Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, disputed the complaints when contacted on Sunday. She said there were no glitches during the exercise and that the examinations were concluded. The latest allegations have nevertheless emerged alongside concerns raised by the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools over the conduct and outcome of the 2026 WASSCE.
In a September 3 statement, NAPPS said WAEC needed to improve its technology and strengthen its digital systems to enhance the efficiency, security and credibility of its examinations and result-management processes. The association also called for stronger National Examination Council examinations as alternatives to WAEC, citing performance data that it said showed an improvement in credit-level results in 2026 despite the pattern of results released by WAEC and reported failures among candidates.
NAPPS has requested an investigative committee to examine its concerns, while WAEC Nigeria National Office Head, Dr Amos Dangut, has continued to defend the 2026 results and the council’s examination processes. Dangut said WAEC had introduced computer-based assessment, question randomisation and serialisation to strengthen examination integrity. The fresh recruitment-test complaints have now added another dimension to scrutiny of the council’s digital systems as stakeholders await further reviews and explanations over the 2026 WASSCE results.
