WAEC blames exam delays on fatal crash, insecurity

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has attributed significant delays in the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination to a tragic road accident and prevailing security challenges. The examination body confirmed that three of its officials lost their lives in a collision while transporting sensitive examination materials across states.

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The delay was caused by a combination of logistical and operational challenges, notably the direct result of a devastating motor accident on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, which tragically claimed the lives of three of our dedicated personnel who were transporting sensitive examination materials interstate.

This fatal accident, which occurred on the Gombe-Yola highway, severely disrupted WAEC's distribution schedule. Consequently, candidates in several centers across Oyo, Lagos, and Osun states experienced substantial delays, forcing them to sit for Mathematics and Agricultural Science papers late into the evening. Reports indicate some students had to use artificial light sources like torchlights and mobile phone flashlights to complete their exams after sunset.

WAEC's Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, stated that the delays stemmed from a combination of logistical and operational challenges. These included the devastating motor accident, regional security issues, difficulties in finalizing examination modalities, and the late registration of candidates. The council acknowledged the heartbreaking loss of its personnel and highlighted that its staff worked diligently to deploy emergency contingency measures to ensure examinations proceeded in affected areas.

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This heartbreaking loss, coupled with prevailing regional security challenges, severely compromised our distribution schedule, which inadvertently led to the delayed start times.

Security concerns, including protests related to the abduction of schoolchildren in some regions, also hampered the timely distribution of examination materials. WAEC assured that it is working to mitigate the impact of these disruptions and is implementing measures to prevent future occurrences.

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While we mourned our fallen colleagues, our team of indefatigable staff worked around the clock to deploy emergency contingency measures to ensure that the examination was still conducted in the affected areas.