The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has disclosed how examination questions were allegedly obtained for N3,000 before candidates sat for National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, describing the scale of examination malpractice in Nigeria as “mind-boggling”.
Alausa made the disclosure on Thursday during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other stakeholders in the education sector.
He warned parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students against practices that could undermine the credibility of public examinations.
The minister said examination malpractice had been tolerated in Nigeria for years, creating an unfair environment in which candidates who prepared honestly were placed at a disadvantage by those who obtained examination materials in advance.
He expressed concern that the practice could also encourage previously honest students to cheat in order to compete with candidates who had access to leaked questions.
“It’s sad. Before she (Minister of State for Education) 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,” Alausa said.
He added that the situation created the danger of honest students eventually joining those involved in malpractice.
“The danger was that the good students would also become bad,” he said.
Questions Allegedly Sold Before Examination
Recounting his experience in efforts to tackle examination malpractice, Alausa alleged that examination questions had previously been made available for purchase before candidates sat for their papers.
He referred to a former NECO registrar, Ibrahim Wushishi, while describing how examination questions were allegedly obtained before the examinations.
“They bought his question for N3,000. That was it. Before the examination,” the minister said.
Alausa also recalled his experience during the 2025 examination period, saying he regularly received examination questions that were allegedly obtained before candidates sat for the relevant papers.
According to him, the situation prompted officials to verify the questions with examination authorities, with some of the materials subsequently confirmed as the actual questions scheduled for that day.
“During that examination period, during the hardest time of my life, I was always worried, waking up. I would wake up to her text. She would send questions to me… She would say, ‘I just got this question’,” he said.
He said the leaked materials covered different subjects, including English and Chemistry.
“I was always waking up with trepidation every morning, doing work. 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 the need for stronger intervention, noting that officials were able to compare suspected leaked questions with the examination authorities’ materials.
“So, that was a more aggressive intervention because we were seeing the question and confirming from the other side,” he said.
‘Whole Education System Must Take Responsibility’
The minister said examination malpractice should not be viewed solely as a problem caused by students.
He argued that the wider education system, including parents, schools, teachers, principals and examination invigilators, had a responsibility to prevent candidates from obtaining unfair access to examination materials.
“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,” Alausa 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 people who should put the deterrents in place are the ones involved.”
Alausa said the Federal Government would strengthen measures aimed at safeguarding the integrity of public examinations and ensuring that academic qualifications reflected genuine learning and merit.
He linked the reforms to President Bola Tinubu’s broader efforts to raise standards and reposition the education sector.
“This is a country with the rule of law. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is transforming this country in a way that’s never been transformed before. This is Nigeria’s renaissance that we’re building to be sustainable into the future,” he said.
The minister said the country had tolerated practices that weakened its education system for too long and that the administration was determined to reverse the trend.
Serialised Questions to Curb Malpractice
The Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, urged private school proprietors and other education stakeholders to support the government’s reforms.
Ahmad said tighter examination controls could initially expose gaps between students’ apparent performance and their actual level of preparation.
She explained that some candidates who recorded strong results in internal school examinations might have become accustomed to accessing examination questions before tests.
According to her, the introduction of serialised examination questions would make it more difficult for candidates to rely on leaked materials while encouraging them to prepare genuinely.
She urged schools to complete their curricula on schedule and promote regular study among students.
Ahmad also assured private education stakeholders that the Federal Ministry of Education would continue to engage them as the reforms were implemented.
The government’s renewed focus on examination integrity comes against the backdrop of longstanding concerns over malpractice in Nigeria, including question-paper leakages, impersonation, collusion and the provision of unauthorised assistance to candidates.
The Federal Government says its efforts are intended to ensure that public examination results provide a credible assessment of students’ knowledge and abilities while protecting candidates who prepare and compete fairly.
