The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has recounted how examination malpractice had allegedly become so widespread in Nigeria that some students could obtain National Examinations Council questions for as little as N3,000 before sitting for their papers.
Alausa said the experience was one of the most troubling periods of his time in government, revealing how deeply examination question leakages had penetrated the country’s education system.
The minister spoke on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, where he warned parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students against practices capable of undermining the credibility of public examinations.
According to Alausa, examination malpractice was previously treated almost as an accepted part of the education system, with leaked questions reportedly becoming easily accessible to candidates willing to pay for them.
“It’s sad. Before she and I came, the acceptance of examination malpractice, cheating and examination leakages in this country was mind-boggling, and the country accepted it. It was a nightmare,” he said.
Recounting the alleged sale of examination questions, Alausa said some students used the name of a former NECO registrar, Professor Dantani Wushishi, as a reference to access a platform where examination questions were reportedly obtained before the scheduled examination.
“They bought his question for N3,000. That was it. Before the examination,” he said.
The minister said the problem was not limited to past examinations, revealing that suspected leaked questions also surfaced repeatedly during the 2025 examination period.
He recalled receiving messages from the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, containing questions allegedly obtained from students before they sat for the examinations.
Alausa said the situation left him constantly worried, as he had to verify the questions with the relevant examination authorities to determine whether they were genuine.
“I would wake up to her text. She would send questions to me… She would say, ‘I just got this question.’
“It could be English or chemistry. I was always waking up with trepidation every morning,” he recalled.
According to him, on some occasions, the questions sent to him were confirmed to be the exact questions candidates were scheduled to answer that day.
“I would send it to the HNO and ask, ‘HNO, is this correct?’ And the answer I got was, ‘Unfortunately, that’s the question we’re doing today,’” he said.
Alausa said the experience demonstrated that examination malpractice was no longer simply a problem caused by students but had become an issue involving several layers of the education system.
He argued that students were often the weakest link in a system where parents, teachers, school owners, principals and invigilators could allegedly work together to facilitate cheating.
“You might be in that isolated school, but the school system is also involved. In fact, I don’t blame the students that much. Any child can be bad,” he said.
“But when we have an ecosystem where parents, schools, teachers, invigilators and principals are in full connivance, the students are the smallest players.”
The minister’s account has renewed concerns about the consequences of examination malpractice for the quality and credibility of education in Nigeria.
When students obtain examination questions before sitting for their papers, their grades may no longer reflect what they have actually learnt. This can create a false picture of academic performance, allowing poorly prepared candidates to obtain qualifications they may not have genuinely earned.
The practice could also disadvantage students who study honestly, weaken confidence in certificates issued by Nigerian examination bodies and make it difficult for universities and employers to accurately assess candidates based on their academic results.
Alausa warned that the Federal Government would not allow such practices to continue, insisting that qualifications must reflect genuine learning, competence and merit.
“What are we doing? Desecrating the Nigerian system? It won’t happen. Not under the watch of this President,” he said.
He said stronger examination controls were part of the broader education reforms of the President Bola Tinubu administration, aimed at improving standards, accountability and public confidence in Nigeria’s assessment system.
The Minister of State for Education also urged private school proprietors and other stakeholders to support the reforms.
She noted that tighter controls could initially expose weaknesses in the preparation of some students who may have become dependent on leaked examination materials to achieve high scores in internal and external examinations.
She said the introduction of serialised examination questions would make it more difficult for candidates to rely on leaked materials and encourage genuine preparation.
The minister urged schools to complete their curricula on schedule and promote regular study among students, stressing that restoring the integrity of examinations would require the cooperation of schools, parents, teachers, examination officials and students.
The government’s challenge, therefore, is not only to stop examination questions from leaking but also to rebuild an education system where academic results once again provide a reliable reflection of students’ knowledge, skills and hard work.