Fresh WAEC drama as job applicants complain of glitches during recruitment test

• WAEC recruitment applicants alleged they experienced portal failures, login errors and network issues during the computer-based aptitude test.

• Several candidates said they missed or could not complete the examination despite travelling to their centres or preparing for the test.

• WAEC denied the allegations, insisting the recruitment examination was successfully concluded without glitches.

• The complaints have added to the ongoing public debate over the credibility of WAEC's technology following the controversial 2026 WASSCE results.

The controversy surrounding the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Just days after Nigerians began questioning the outcome of the 2026 WASSCE results, another issue has surfaced. This time, it's not students complaining, but people who applied for jobs at WAEC.

According to an interview by Punch, several applicants who sat for WAEC's computer-based recruitment aptitude test on Saturday claimed they were unable to complete the examination because of technical issues ranging from network failures to inaccessible portals and login problems.

For many of them, it felt like history repeating itself.

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Applicants took to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook shortly after the exercise, sharing screenshots and recounting frustrating experiences.

One applicant, Okih Meshach, said he spent days preparing for the exam only to be disappointed by technical failures.

"Why on earth would Nigeria and WAEC be frustrating people? After burning (a) candle to study and be ready for exams, the government system keeps failing and keeps giving reasons to youths why they must not trust or rely on them.

"The WAEC exam today is frustrating and nothing to write home about due to their network. Why is Nigeria always finding it hard to conduct peaceful ICT exams?"

Another applicant on X, @PenitentBen, said the SMS invitation he received failed to include important details like the examination time and venue.

"I applied for the recruitment exercise. On the 2nd of this month, I received a text message informing me that the CB-Aptitude Test would be on the 5th, yet they didn’t specify the time and venue for the said test. I ended up missing out on that."

He also claimed the spreadsheet containing the names of shortlisted candidates kept loading for a long time before displaying errors.

A similar complaint came from @Sididamrawi, who said he couldn't even access the examination after finding his details on the shortlisted list.

"The same thing happened to me. A friend just forwarded a WAEC spreadsheet with names of shortlisted individuals and their examination numbers. I tried to write the exams now, and it’s telling me 'invalid details.'"

Perhaps one of the most painful accounts came from @farmbookOO, who said he travelled from his town to his state capital just to write the exam.

According to him, there were no WAEC officials at the venue.

After waiting until the scheduled examination time, he tried logging into the portal without success.

"I tried logging in till 2 pm, but the WAEC site was not online. I set on my journey back to my base town, got home and tried logging in again, and the site is telling me I have already completed the exam process."

Another applicant, @Haryormikhun, claimed the website remained inaccessible throughout the entire examination window.

"I didn’t even get any chance to log in, let alone do the test. The website was down throughout the period of 40 minutes test duration."

The recruitment complaints have quickly reignited conversations around WAEC's technology.

One applicant, Erhuen Titilayo (@tuntomiwa), questioned why people dismissed complaints about the recently released WASSCE results.

"WAEC and glitch na 5/6. We were complaining; people were saying it’s because of malpractice. Is this recruitment examination glitch also malpractice on the part of applicants? Failure nation, failed system. It is well with upcoming generations."

His comment reflects what many Nigerians have been debating online since the release of the 2026 WASSCE results.

Despite the flood of complaints, WAEC insists nothing went wrong.

Speaking to Punch, the council's Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, dismissed the allegations.

"There were no glitches, and the examinations were concluded."

This is consistent with WAEC's earlier position on the controversy surrounding the 2026 WASSCE results.

The Head of WAEC's Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, has repeatedly maintained that the council's examination process remains credible.

During a recent virtual dialogue organised by the Education Writers Association of Nigeria (EWAN), Dangut said stakeholders should seek clarification directly from WAEC instead of relying on unverified social media claims.

He also defended the council's use of new technologies such as computer-based testing, question randomisation and serialisation, saying they were introduced to strengthen examination integrity and reduce malpractice.

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The latest complaints come at a particularly sensitive time for WAEC.

The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) recently met with the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, over concerns about the 2026 WASSCE results.

Among other recommendations, the association urged WAEC to strengthen its digital systems and provide statistical evidence linking its anti-malpractice measures to the unusual performance pattern recorded this year.

NAPPS also called for an investigative committee to examine concerns raised by schools, while discussions with the Federal Ministry of Education are still ongoing.

With recruitment applicants now raising similar complaints about WAEC's online systems, the scrutiny surrounding the examination body's technology is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.