Candidates sitting for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Asaba, Delta State, were left to write their papers in the dark on Thursday evening after question papers arrived four hours behind schedule.
The incident, which took place at Unity Modern School, exposed students to an avoidable ordeal that forced them to complete their exam under torchlights due to a power failure in the school.
A 93-second video recorded at the scene shows students struggling to finish the paper late in the night with the aid of flashlights. A man, believed to be the exam supervisor, was also seen using a torchlight to guide the candidates.
The paper, which was supposed to begin at 2:00 p.m., reportedly did not start until around 6:00 p.m. As night fell, the absence of electricity meant candidates had no choice but to rely on makeshift lighting.
A female voice in the footage lamented the experience. “They are using torchlight to write WAEC, even during my time of lantern, we did not use torchlights to write WAEC,” she said, clearly frustrated by the situation.
“It’s not okay. The paper that was supposed to start by 2 pm, they brought the paper by 6 pm. No light in the school. The students are using torchlight to write WAEC in Unity Modern School, Asaba, state capital, not in a village; live and direct,” she continued.
She questioned the credibility of the exam body, adding, “WAEC must write exams by night, why must it be like this? WAEC must conduct exams at night. What’s the name of this paper? People are still writing. See them now with WAEC calculator. Writing by night. Afterwards, they will say Tinubu is bad. This is wickedness. Writing by night.”
This is happening barely two months after the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) threatened to shut down WAEC offices nationwide over unresolved welfare issues.
NASU had in March issued a seven-day ultimatum to the exam body, demanding immediate resolution of four key labor-related concerns and an end to the alleged intimidation of union leaders. “If the management does not take immediate action, all WAEC offices across the country will be shut down indefinitely,” NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi said at the time during a press briefing in Lagos.
While the union eventually stood down the threat, Thursday’s incident may rekindle fears of systemic lapses that could again disrupt the operations of WAEC in Nigeria.
The development has further fueled anger among citizens who continue to question Tinubu’s handling of education and infrastructure across the country.
