Education Minister, Dr Tunji Alausa, has alleged that National Examinations Council (NECO) examination questions were sold for as little as N3,000 before candidates sat for the papers.
Alausa disclosed this on Thursday during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other education stakeholders, as he warned that examination malpractice had become a serious threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s education system.
He said the problem had been tolerated for years, creating an environment where students who prepared for examinations honestly were placed at a disadvantage against those who obtained questions before the scheduled papers.
‘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,’ he said.
‘The danger was that the good students would also become bad.’
The minister said the widespread availability of leaked examination materials could also pressure students who had previously avoided malpractice to join the practice in order to remain competitive.
Recounting efforts to tackle the problem, Alausa alleged that examination questions had been obtained and sold ahead of examinations, citing an incident involving former NECO Registrar, Ibrahim Wushishi.
‘The Registrar of NECO at the time had a name. His name was (Ibrahim) Wushishi. You would go to Wushishi… I didn’t know that Wushishi meant going to the dark website,’ he said.
‘They bought his question for N3,000. That was it. Before the examination. They called him Wushishi and bought the questions for N3,000 before the examination.’
Alausa also recalled what he described as a difficult experience during the 2025 examination period, when he regularly received examination questions allegedly obtained before candidates took the papers.
He said officials had to verify the materials with examination authorities, with some of the questions eventually confirmed to be those scheduled for candidates 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.
‘It could be English or 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.”
The minister said tackling examination malpractice required the involvement of more than just students, arguing that parents, schools and examination officials also had a role in preventing access to leaked 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 continue to strengthen measures aimed at protecting the integrity of public examinations and ensuring that academic qualifications reflected candidates’ genuine learning and merit.