The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is under intense scrutiny after its official result checker portal, www.waecdirect.org, went offline Wednesday evening, just days after announcing the poorest WASSCE English Language performance in a decade.
In a statement via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, @waecnigeria, WAEC attributed the outage to “technical issues,” promising restoration within 24 hours.
“WAEC hereby informs the general public that the result checker portal is temporarily shut down due to technical issues. However, the Council is working assiduously to ensure that candidates are able to access their results within the next 24 hours. We apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused,” the notice read.
📉 Public Reaction and Outrage
The announcement has only deepened public mistrust after only 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) earned credits and above in five core subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Social media platforms were flooded with outrage. Many users cited logistical failures during the exam, particularly the delayed and chaotic conduct of the English Language paper, as contributing to the mass failures.
On May 28, the English exam reportedly began as late as 8:00 PM in some centers, under poor lighting and shortened exam durations.
🗣️ Social Media Testimonies
- @sikimark (Mark Imohi):
“It is concerning that the English exam, which was delayed at centres nationwide, is now resulting in widespread failures. If JAMB could make amends, we hope WAEC will too.” - @_samad1:
“We wrote the English paper at night with only 30 to 60 minutes allocated. The whole experience was rushed and unfair. Please rethink.” - @ebitimi_da15726:
“When the portal is reopened, you will see magic. Something isn’t right.” - @JayTrezy:
“Just like JAMB, WAEC is gambling with the future of Nigerians. If those English grades are reviewed, WAEC will pay dearly.”
Parents have also voiced concern over students excelling in other subjects but receiving failing grades in English, questioning the integrity of the grading process.
⚠️ WAEC’s Credibility on the Line
The shutdown of the result portal, coupled with the dismal English Language statistics, has reignited demands for independent audits, script reviews, and greater transparency from the examination body.
With many Nigerian students’ academic futures hanging in the balance, education stakeholders are urging WAEC to take urgent corrective steps and restore public confidence in its operations.
