How Social Media Is Undermining National Exams

BY IBUKUN EMIOLA

ON the surface, it is another exam season in Ni­geria — the stress, the supervision, the silence in classrooms.

But beneath that surface lies a digital underworld of leaked questions, fintech-fueled payments, and What­sApp groups selling success to the highest bidder.

Investigations show that there are WhatsApp groups where National Examinations Council (NECO), West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and even state common entrance and joint examinations ques­tions for public schools are traded like market goods. Questions and answers are sold for as low as ₦500 to ₦3,500 via mobile money apps.

These groups serve candidates across multiple states, customised to local exam codesThese examina­tion questions get leaked the evening before the day of the examination and not hours to the examination.

Some of these sites do give always and encourage members on the platform to share the link with oth­ers.

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has found itself at the center of this fight, as it tries to plug the growing leak in the credibility of public examinations.

To combat this menace, NECO’s Registrar and Chief Executive, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, set up an Examina­tion Intelligence Committee.

This committee, according to NECO’s Annual Post­ing Calendar Implementation Committee (APCIC) Chairman, Mr Ahmed Bagwai, has been active from the onset of the SSCE internal exam.

He said the committee has been engaging with key national agencies including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Com­mission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). However, these efforts are being outpaced by digital fraud.

According to Bagwai,” live question papers are re­leased two to three hours before the exam, not days like before.“Our investigations point to some compro­mised supervisory points — the so-called non-daily custodians. NECO has drafted court documents to block identified telephone lines used in spreading leaked questions”.

“A motion ex parte is ready for filing at the Suleja Division of the Niger State High Court.Bagwai said that if telecom providers failed to act on the order, NECO would escalate to the NCC.” “Still, shutting down leak channels remains an uphill battle,” Bagwai said.

Some of the teachers who spoke on the condition of anonymity lamented the dire situation the Nigerian education is in and the grave consequences on the nation. “We are not just dealing with a leak — this is an organised operation,” said a secondary school teacher in Ibadan.

Another teacher said “Supervisors collect bribes, and parents are complicit.

“Some schools are even urging students to regis­ter in so-called ‘special centers’ where cheating is institutionalised.” A call for a return to school-based entrance exams is gaining support among educators who believe centralisation is feeding the fraud.

Nonetheless, the problem is not just analog — it is digital too.

MrFataiOwoseni, a retired Commissioner of Police and Consultant to JAMB on Security Matters, warned about “face blending”, a new method of cheating.

According to him, this is where impersonators digitally merge their facial features with a candidate’s biometric image to beat identity verification during computer-based exams.

“Exam malpractice has become an industry in Nigeria.

“The demands for paper qualifications, the glorifica­tion of certificates, and digital anonymity have all made it easier.” He added that JAMB, though far ahead in digital infrastructure, still contended with impersonation and hacking attempts. “That is why NECO and WAEC must collaborate, not compete; learn from what is working.”

Owoseni, who is also the Special Adviser on Security Matter to Gov. SeyiMakinde, also called for a rethinking of Nigeria’s educational priorities.

“Not everyone needs a university degree.We must respect vocational qualifications and create an eco­system where alternative skills matter.”

NECO believes public support is key.

“We are calling on the media, the public and relevant agencies to help restore credibility. “We have made progress — now we must defend it,” he said.

However, the Oyo State Government has urged all students to eschew any form of malpractices during the ongoing National Examination Council examination.

The new Chairman Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), MrsOladiipoOlubukola, made the call while monitoring the exercise in some secondary schools across different zones in the state.

Olubukola said the Teaching Service Commission re­mained committed to upholding high quality academic standards through collaborative effort with relevant authorities.

According to her, the collaboration would ensure that appropriate disciplinary measures are taken on whoever is involved in examination malpractices.

Meanwhile, as new questions go live each exam morning, so too do the leaks — whispered into smart­phones, exchanged via fintech, and broadcast into chat groups.

The cost of cheating, it seems, is being paid not just in naira — but in the very future of Nigerian education.

It is worthy of mention that the Federal Government is not treating the menace of exam practice with kid gloves.

The Federal Government has intensified its crack­down on examination malpractice by establishing a Central Examination Malpractice Unit and proposing a National Examination Malpractice Court/Tribunal to prosecute offenders swiftly.

Education Minister, DrTunjiAlausa, announced the creation of the unit at JAMB’s 2025 policy meeting.

He said that it would serve as a national clearing­house for documenting and reporting malpractice cases, with a central database accessible to institutions and regulatory bodies.

The minister said the move, chaired by the ministry’s permanent secretary, would ensure strict enforcement of the Examination Malpractices Act, which carries sanctions even for underage offenders.

More so, during the submission of a 12-point re­form report chaired by Prof. IshaqOloyede, Alausa confirmed that the government would also establish a specialised tribunal to fast-track prosecution and deter offenders.

These initiatives come amid a surge in internet-driven cheating schemes — including dedicated WhatsApp leak networks and impersonation tactics like face blending — which NECO, JAMB, and WAEC officials warn are eroding exam credibility nationwide. (NANfeatures)