The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is under intense public scrutiny following the sudden shutdown of its results portal on Wednesday evening.
The examination body attributed the outage to “technical issues.”
Announcing the disruption via its official X handle (@waecnigeria), WAEC stated: “WAEC hereby informs the general public that the result checker portal @waecdirect.org is temporarily shut down due to technical issues.
However, the Council is working assiduously to ensure that candidates are able to access their results in the next 24 hours. We apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused.”
The announcement triggered a wave of fresh criticism, compounding public outrage over the dismal performance recorded in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), particularly in English Language. Earlier in the week, WAEC revealed that only 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the exam earned credits and above in five subjects including English and Mathematics — the lowest pass rate in a decade.
Across social media, candidates and parents questioned WAEC’s credibility, citing logistical failures during the exam period.
Many pointed to the chaotic conduct of the English Language paper, which was reportedly delayed into late hours at multiple centres on May 28.
Screenshots of results showing credits in most subjects but failure in English were widely circulated, with calls for a thorough re-evaluation of the English scripts.
One user, @sikimark, tweeted:“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 take steps to rectify the situation. It was a national disgrace.”
Another user, @_samad1, recounted:“We wrote exams at 8 p.m. with only one hour or 30 minutes for a paper meant to last two and a half hours. There was no electricity, and everyone was rushing. Please rethink.”
Some candidates held out hope for a reversal once the portal is restored.“When the portal is reopened, you will see magic,” tweeted @ebitimi_da15726.
Allegations of manipulation and profit-driven motives also surfaced.“Just like JAMB, WAEC is gambling with the future of Nigerians. If the majority of the D’s, E’s, and F8’s in English are rechecked, WAEC will pay dearly,” @JayTrezy claimed.
Parents expressed frustration and disbelief over the results.“My daughter got five A1s and two B2s, only to get D7 in English and have Physics withheld,” tweeted @Johnway11145073.
@DEYHOT_official pleaded:“WAEC, please, I’m begging — help us check the English Language exam again. I can’t accept this result. I worked hard to pay for this exam, and now you failed me. This is affecting my future.”
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Some even demanded a total recall of the 2025 results.“We reject this year’s results, particularly the English and Maths. WAEC, please do the needful to avoid mass protests,” posted @pastorbtdaniels.
@MarquizDejavex added:“Students wrote the English paper at midnight and still got failed by WAEC.”
In a call for accountability, @e_okwori urged candidates to tag the Presidency and the Minister of Education to demand an external review of the entire exam process.
As of now, WAEC has yet to issue any further explanation regarding the English Language grading or address mounting calls for a review of the scripts.
