Workers at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria have demanded that management immediately respect ongoing legal processes, warning that continued disregard for the law, poor welfare, and unfair labour practices are driving the organisation toward a nationwide industrial crisis
The workers, under the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), WAEC Nigeria branch, gave this position on Monday during an emergency general meeting at the National Office in Yaba, Lagos.
In a speech delivered at the congress and made available to Nigerian Tribune by the NASU branch chairman, Comrade Matthew Kayode Ogunyade, the union accused the WAEC management, led by the Head of National Office (HNO), Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, of committing contempt of court and deliberately provoking an industrial crisis.
According to the NASU branch chairman, WAEC management approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria on July 17, 2026, to secure an interim injunction restraining the union from embarking on a planned strike. However, the union claimed that management had continued to make pronouncements and alter structures on issues currently pending before the judge.
‘Management has continued to engage in activities that contravene the spirit of that court process,’ Ogunyade stated. ‘This constitutes a direct violation of the principle of lis pendens and amounts to contempt of court. We, therefore, demand that Dr Dangut and the entire management immediately retrace their steps, obey the court process, and allow the law to take its course.’
The union revealed that it had previously issued a 14-day ultimatum to down tools across all WAEC offices nationwide over nine critical grievances.
Chief among the grievances is a controversial reduction of the 2026 WASSCE (School Candidate) packing duration to a 24-hour schedule. NASU disclosed that the pressure from the tight timeline allegedly resulted in the deaths of three staff members due to extreme fatigue.
According to the union, management reverted to the original 48-hour schedule only after the fatalities occurred.
Other unresolved issues fueling the crisis include:
Suspension of the staff upgrade programme after workers had spent personal resources preparing for it.
Imposition of the Minimum Net Pay Balance Policy.
Unilateral constitution of disciplinary panels without union representation, which the union said led to the allegedly unfair dismissal of workers, including Mr Sanni Moshood, Mr Olaniyan Adewale Ezekiel and five staff members in the Benin office.
Denial of promotions, with the union specifically citing NASU branch treasurer, Miss Elizabeth Okolie, who was allegedly denied promotion following a minor incident at the WAEC Press House in Lagos.
Indiscriminate recruitment of contract staff and structural manipulation to poach members from the Examination Administrative Officers Cadre in an attempt to weaken collective bargaining.
NASU noted that although management called several conciliatory meetings, including a session that lasted from 3:00 pm to 1:00 am the following day, the engagements yielded no progress due to management’s ‘evasiveness and resistance.’
The breakdown of the talks originally set the stage for a nationwide shutdown on July 22, 2026, before the court intervention.
In a bid to safeguard Nigerian students and preserve the credibility of regional examinations, NASU called on the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Administrative and Finance Committee (AandF) of WAEC to intervene.
The union maintained that while it did not want to disrupt council activities, it would not compromise on the dignity of its workforce.
‘A peaceful, motivated, and fairly treated workforce is the bedrock of credible examinations,’ Ogunyade concluded. ‘Management must choose dialogue over dictatorship and law over impunity.’
When reached for comment on the development, WAEC Nigeria spokesperson, Mrs Moyosola Adesina, stated that the matter was currently before the court.