Amid criticism against reports of students sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in dark, the Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has led millions of Nigerians to demand that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) the affected examination papers be retaken in all compromised centres across Nigeria.
Atiku, who described the report as a national disgrace, said that denying the schoolchildren the opportunity to retake the examination would amount to injustice considering that the dream and aspirations of the candidates were tied to the examination conducted by WAEC.
He noted that preparation for examination is premised on shared responsibility between students and the body responsible for the exercise including WAEC, saying the schoolchildren have done their part but the council failed to perform its responsibilities.
The former vice president, who stated this on Thursday while reacting to reports of students sitting for WASSCE in dark and unfit conditions across parts of Nigeria, stressed that the incident was a bold proof of the systemic failure in the country’s public education.
In a statement made available through his official social media handle, Atiku, meanwhile, advocated that the Federal Government establish and enforce minimum environmental and infrastructural standards for all high-stakes national examinations.
According to the statement, “The recent report of students sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination in appallingly dark and unfit conditions across the country is nothing short of a national disgrace. That this outrage occurred just a day after the world marked International Children’s Day only deepens the shame.
“This is not merely an unfortunate incident — it is a damning indictment of our systemic failure to uphold the most basic standards in public education. It is unacceptable, unjustifiable, and utterly indefensible that in 2025, our children are forced to write critical national exams in pitch darkness like second-class citizens.
“This incident must awaken our national conscience. It must compel immediate and sustained investment in critical social infrastructure, with education as the foremost priority — not in rhetoric but in tangible action.
“I therefore demand, unequivocally, that the affected examination paper be retaken in all compromised centres. Anything less would be a grave injustice to the students whose futures hang in the balance.
“Examination preparedness is a shared responsibility between students and the examination authorities. In this case, it is glaringly evident that the latter have failed spectacularly in their duty. It would be utterly unjust to allow students to suffer the consequences of such gross institutional negligence.
“Going forward, it is imperative that relevant authorities establish and enforce minimum environmental and infrastructural standards for all high-stakes national examinations. We must never allow such a shameful scenario to repeat itself — not under our watch”.
