By Adams Badejo
The recent decision by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to subject thousands of Nigerian students to examinations stretching into the evening hours is not only unacceptable; it is a glaring indictment of poor planning and institutional failure.

How can an examination body expect candidates to sit for crucial papers at 7 p.m. and beyond, yet still claim to be protecting the integrity of the examination process? By that time, the credibility of the exercise is already under serious question. Students are exhausted, anxious, and distracted. Their performance can no longer be said to reflect their true academic ability.

Beyond the issue of stress lies an even more disturbing concern: safety. Nigeria is grappling with widespread insecurity. Across several communities, parents live in fear of kidnappings, bandit attacks, and other security threats. Asking teenagers to remain in examination centres until nightfall is reckless and insensitive. A student writing an examination in a place like Oriire Local Government Area at 7 p.m. cannot possibly concentrate fully while worrying about personal safety and the journey home.

The recurring reports of inadequate question papers further compound the embarrassment. How does a centre that registered over 200 candidates receive fewer than 100 question papers? This is not a natural disaster or an unforeseen emergency; it is a logistical failure. Registration figures are known months in advance. There can be no reasonable excuse for such avoidable shortcomings.

What makes the situation even more frustrating is that this is not an isolated incident. Similar occurrences were reported during previous examinations, including cases where candidates sat for English Language papers until 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. If a problem repeats itself year after year, it ceases to be an accident and becomes evidence of systemic incompetence.

Examinations are meant to test knowledge, not endurance. Students should not be punished for the inability of an examining body to properly organise its affairs. Every additional hour spent waiting for question papers or writing late into the night places unnecessary mental and emotional strain on young people already under tremendous academic pressure.

The Federal Ministry of Education cannot continue to watch from the sidelines. Nigerians deserve answers. Parents deserve assurances. Students deserve better. There should be a comprehensive review of WAEC’s operational processes, logistics management, and contingency planning to prevent a recurrence of these embarrassing situations.

One important question remains unanswered: Are students in other WAEC member countries subjected to the same treatment? If not, why should Nigerian candidates bear the burden of administrative inefficiency?

WAEC has built a reputation over decades as a respected examination body. However, that reputation is being steadily eroded by incidents that suggest poor preparation and disregard for candidates’ welfare. The organisation must urgently retrace its steps, restore public confidence, and remember that the primary purpose of examinations is to create opportunities for students, not additional obstacles.

The nation’s students deserve competence, consideration, and protection. What they received instead was confusion, anxiety, and needless hardship. That is a disgrace no serious examination body, no country should tolerate.