Students of Unity Modern School in Asaba, the Delta State capital, were forced to write one of their 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) papers late into the night using torchlights, after a four-hour delay in the delivery of question papers.
A one-minute, 33-second video clip obtained by SaharaReporters shows a chaotic scene, with students struggling to complete their exam in total darkness due to the absence of electricity in the school.
A voice in the background is heard stating that the exam, originally scheduled for 2:00 p.m., did not begin until 6:00 p.m., causing the session to stretch late into the evening. In the footage, a man believed to be the examination supervisor is seen holding a torchlight to assist the candidates in finishing their papers.
A woman’s voice, filled with frustration over the situation, can be heard saying, “They are using torchlight to write WAEC, even during my time of lantern (when lanterns were commonly used in homes), we did not use torchlights to write WAEC.
“It’s not okay. The paper that was supposed to start by 2 pm, they brought the paper by 6 pm.
“No light in the school. The students are using torchlight to write WAEC in Unity Modern School, Asaba, state capital, not in a village; live and direct.
“WAEC must write exams by night, why must it be like this? WAEC must conduct exams by night.
“What’s the name of this paper? People are still writing. See them now with WAEC calculator.
“Writing by night. Afterwards they will say Tinubu is bad. This is wickedness. Writing by night.
“They are supposed to bring this paper by 2 pm. They waited till night. After that, they will say Tinubu. Did Tinubu tell WAEC to come?
“He is collecting their papers that they should go.”
In March, SaharaReporters reported that the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) planned to shut down WAEC offices across Nigeria.
The union issued a seven-day ultimatum to WAEC management, urging action on four critical issues concerning workers’ welfare and the alleged victimisation of labour leaders.
At a press briefing in Lagos State on Monday, NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi cautioned that if their demands were not met, all WAEC offices nationwide would be closed starting Monday, March 24.
“If the management does not take immediate action, all WAEC offices across the country will be shut down indefinitely,” Adeyemi declared.
The union maintained that its concerns must be swiftly resolved to protect the rights and well-being of its members.
This was not the first time NASU had issued such a warning.
In 2019, the union similarly threatened a shutdown, declaring that its members in WAEC’s Nigerian offices would cease operations.