The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, on Wednesday released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates, with 1,200,514 candidates representing 61.54% obtaining credits and above in a minimum of five subjects including English Language and Mathematics.

Announcing the results in Lagos, Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, said this represents a 1.42% decrease compared to 2025.

A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea. 1,950,726 candidates sat the examination.

Of those who sat:

1,200,514 candidates — 61.54% — obtained credits and above in five subjects including English and Maths

1,687,378 candidates — 86.50% — obtained credits and above in minimum of five subjects with or without English and Maths

Gender breakdown

Among the 1.2m candidates who passed English and Maths:

– *558,883–28.65% were male

– *641,631–32.89%were female

Overall, 953,459 males — 48.88% and 997,267 females — 51.12% sat the exam.

Processing and Special Needs

Dr. Dangut said 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05%, have had their results fully processed and released. Results of 116,031 candidates, representing 5.95%, are still being processed.

A total of 1,213 candidates with special needs registered. This includes 137 visually challenged, 491 with impaired hearing, 55 spastic cum mentally challenged and 41 physically challenged.

Malpractice cases

WAEC withheld results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59%, over examination malpractice. This is 1.11% lower than the 9.7% recorded in 2025.

“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organized cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues,” Dr. Dangut said.

He added that some supervisors and invigilators caught aiding malpractice have been apprehended and would face sanctions through State Ministries of Education.

Key innovations

Dr. Dangut, who said this was his third and last briefing as Head of WAEC Nigeria, noted that 2026 was the second time the Council conducted CB-WASSCE for school candidates.

Other innovations include the Digital Examiner Mark System, DEMS, for faster processing, serialisation of question papers to fight malpractice, and a new portal where candidates can directly generate e-PINs to check results.

Other announcements

1. Digital Certificates: Candidates can now apply for digital certificates 48 hours after checking results online at http://www.waecdirect.org

2. Private Candidates 2026 — Second Series: Registration is ongoing at N37,500. Walk-in candidates allowed.

3. Past Questions: Compiled WAEC past questions and answers now sold for N5,200 per subject combination.

Candidates can check results within 12 hours at http://www.waecdirect.org. Hard copies of certificates will be ready in 90 days.

The examination was conducted from April 24 to June 19, 2026 and marked by 102,708 examiners across 88 marking venues.

Results of candidates sponsored by states indebted to WAEC will not be released until payment is made.

The Federal Government has suspended the recent hike of the fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, and the National Examinations Council, NECO, Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE.

The development follows backlash that trailed the increments.

The suspension was announced in a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, on Monday.

According to the Federal Government, the June 18th, 2026 letter conveying the hike of WAEC and NECO fees has been withdrawn.

The government said the suspension was to give room for review and further engagement with stakeholders.

“The Ministry acknowledges the concerns and constructive feedback received from the public and appreciates the keen interest shown by Nigerians in matters relating to access to quality education.

“The proposed review was informed by the prevailing economic realities and the rising cost of conducting credible national examinations. The current examination registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite significant increases in operational costs, including logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment, quality assurance, and other essential services required to maintain the integrity and credibility of public examinations across the country.

“Nevertheless, the Honorable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, has directed that the proposal be placed on hold in line with the federal government’s commitment to inclusive, transparent, and evidence-based policymaking.

“This decision underscores the ministry’s determination to ensure that policies affecting millions of Nigerian students and their families are carefully considered, socially responsive, and reflect the collective interest of the nation.

“As part of the fresh review process, the ministry will further engage extensively with examination bodies, state ministries of education, school proprietors and administrators, parents’ associations, organized labor, education stakeholders, and other critical partners to ensure that any future decision is fair, sustainable, transparent, and responsive to prevailing realities while safeguarding access to education.

“Accordingly, the proposed review of examination registration fees will not take effect, as earlier communicated, pending the conclusion of the consultation process.

“The Federal Ministry of Education reassures Nigerians that the welfare of students, equitable access to quality education, and responsible policy decisions remain at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the education sector.

“The ministry appreciates the understanding, patience, and continued support of all stakeholders and remains committed to keeping the public fully informed throughout the consultation process,” the statement released by the Ministry of Education said.

‎Former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has pleaded not guilty to allegations of forging his university degree and his NYSC discharge certificate brought against him by the federal government.

‎The former Minister, who was charged to court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

‎Nnaji is facing six counts of forging a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate submitted during his ministerial screening in 2023.

The charges further covered claims of receiving approximately N29.5 million in salary and emoluments under false pretenses, as well as money laundering allegations

After his plea of not guilty on Monday, the prosecutor informed the court that he was ready to proceed to trial, with three witnesses available in the courtroom already.

‎Ogwu Onoja, SAN, counsel for the defendant pleaded for more time to prepare for trial and informed the court of a pending application for bail filed on 9 July. The prosecutor did not oppose to the application for bail.

‎In a short ruling, the trial judge granted the defendant bail in the sum of N20million with one surety who must not be below level 15 in the Federal civil service. The surety must be residing in Abuja. Other terms of bail include that Nnaji deposits his official and personal passports.

‎Nnaji being charged to court follows months of investigation questioning the authenticity of his documents. Both UNN and the NYSC have reportedly disowned the certificates in question.

‎He was arrested on June 30, 2026, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja upon his arrival from Enugu.

‎The arrest was executed following a Federal High Court order issued on June 11, 2026, after he allegedly failed to honor multiple invitations for investigative interviews.

‎Nnaji resigned from his ministerial position on October 7, 2025, describing the move as a “principled decision to respect the sanctity of due process” amid ongoing judicial proceedings, and denying any wrongdoing. He has previously described elements of the case as politically motivated.

‎The defendant is the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Enugu State.

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