Nigeria’s education minister, Tunji Alausa, has raised fresh concerns about examination malpractice after saying questions from the National Examinations Council, or NECO, were previously sold to candidates for as little as N3,000 before scheduled examinations.
Alausa made the disclosure during a meeting in Abuja with private school proprietors and other education stakeholders, describing the level of malpractice he encountered after assuming office as deeply troubling.
The minister said leaked examination materials created an unfair advantage for candidates who obtained questions in advance and undermined students who prepared honestly. He warned that widespread cheating could also pressure otherwise diligent students to participate in malpractice.
According to Alausa, some candidates were able to obtain NECO examination questions through online channels before the papers were written. He said materials allegedly sold for N3,000 were later found to correspond with questions scheduled for the examination.
Alausa also recalled receiving copies of examination questions during the 2025 examination period before candidates had sat for the papers. He said the materials were sent to officials for verification and were confirmed to match questions scheduled for that day.
The minister said the problem extended beyond students, arguing that parents, teachers, school administrators, invigilators and other actors could contribute to organized examination fraud when proper safeguards were ignored.
He said the federal government was strengthening measures aimed at protecting the integrity of national examinations, including greater use of technology, question randomization and tighter controls on examination administration.
Nigeria has also been expanding the use of computer-based testing as part of efforts to reduce leakages and make it more difficult for candidates to gain unauthorized access to examination materials before tests begin.
NECO has played a major role in Nigeria’s secondary school examination system since it was established in 1999. The council conducts the Senior School Certificate Examination and other assessments used by students seeking admission to universities and other higher institutions.
Examination malpractice has remained a long running challenge in Nigeria, with authorities repeatedly warning that leaked questions, impersonation, collusion and organized cheating threaten confidence in academic qualifications.
The government says stronger oversight and digital reforms are expected to reduce opportunities for fraud and improve public confidence in national examinations. Education officials have also called on schools and parents to support efforts aimed at ensuring students are assessed on merit.
Alausa said protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s examination system would require cooperation across the education sector, warning that reforms would have limited effect if schools, families and examination officials failed to reject malpractice.
