By Peter Omopo
Abuja, July 22, 2025 — The Federal Government has announced plans to fully transition the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an inspection of a pilot NECO CBT SSCE held at Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday. He confirmed that starting next year, all WAEC and NECO exams—both objective and essay components—will be conducted exclusively at accredited CBT centres.
“This marks the beginning of the end for paper-based school exams,” Alausa declared. “By November this year, both NECO and WAEC will conduct their objective papers via CBT. By 2026, the entire examination—objective and theory—will be CBT.”
He likened the reform to the current Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) model and stressed the need to leverage thousands of CBT centres already operational across the country, including those run by private investors and public institutions.
“These centres are underutilised,” he said. “We must expand their value chain beyond JAMB. This initiative will boost the digital economy, create jobs, and reduce exam malpractice significantly.”
Alausa praised NECO for the successful rollout of its pilot CBT exam, describing it as “a demonstration of capability, commitment, and readiness for transformation.”
Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, echoed the minister’s confidence, saying the exam body is technically prepared to implement the CBT format nationwide. However, he acknowledged infrastructural limitations, especially in remote areas, and called on state governments to invest in necessary facilities.
“We are professionally ready,” Wushishi said. “We may face infrastructure challenges in some regions, but that won’t stop our progress. We’re appealing to state governments to support us by developing CBT infrastructure, particularly in underserved areas.”
Wushishi revealed that a record 1,367,210 candidates registered for the 2025 NECO SSCE—comprising 685,551 males and 681,659 females. Kano State led with over 137,000 registered candidates, while Kebbi had the lowest with just over 5,000. The Nigerian International School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, recorded the smallest centre size with only eight candidates.
At other monitoring centres in Abuja, lawmakers also voiced support for the transition.
Senator Ekong Samson, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), said the legislature is committed to modernizing Nigeria’s education system to meet global standards.
“We are living in an age of technology. Nigeria must move with the times. As legislators, we will ensure all measures necessary for a smooth CBT transition are in place,” he said.
Similarly, Hon. Oboku Oforji, Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Examination Bodies, who monitored the exams at the Federal Government Boys’ College, Apo, commended NECO’s leadership for delivering a seamless process.
“NECO is doing excellently under Prof. Wushishi’s watch. We are proud of the work and will continue to support this transformation,” he said.
The full transition to CBT is part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to digitalize key national systems and improve transparency, efficiency, and credibility in the education sector.
