NANS Southwest Zone D Declares "No More Night Exams," Demands Accountability from WAEC

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, has issued a scathing indictment of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), accusing the regional body of “administrative gambling” with the lives of thousands of Nigerian secondary school students.

The outcry follows reports from across the Southwest region where 2026 WASSCE candidates were subjected to grueling wait times, with some examinations starting so late that they bled into the night, concluding as late as 10:00 PM.

Speaking through an official dispatch to NANS Tribune, NANS Southwest Zone D highlighted the psychological toll these delays take on young learners. Examinations, already a source of significant stress, have become a source of physical exhaustion and mental trauma due to WAEC’s inability to deliver materials on time.

"It is inhumane to keep minors in examination halls for hours under uncertainty, only to force them to write complex papers at night when their cognitive energy is depleted," the association stated.

NANS Tribune reports that NANS Southwest Zone D is particularly alarmed by the safety implications. With many students relying on public transportation and trekking long distances to their homes, the "night exam" trend exposes them to:

• Highway Insecurity: Increased risk of kidnapping and armed robbery.
• Accidents: Navigating poorly lit roads after an exhausting day.
• Gender-Based Risks: Vulnerability of female students to harassment during late-night commutes.

Total Rejection of "Night Exam" Culture

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, has declared its total rejection of the "night exam" culture being introduced by WAEC’s administrative failures.

In a statement signed by the Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Adeyemo Josiah Kayode (Billioncodes), NANS Southwest Zone D stated that the lives of students are not collateral damage for WAEC’s incompetence. The association noted that while stakeholders were promised a hitch-free process, the reality has been one of stranded students and late-night highway risks.

"Nigerian students deserve professionalism, not repeated excuses after preventable failures," the statement read.

NANS Southwest Zone D noted that this is not a new issue. Despite promises of reform made in 2025, WAEC appears to have doubled down on its inefficiency. The association is now calling on school principals and parents’ associations to join a unified front against these "midnight examinations," demanding that student dignity be restored to the Nigerian educational system.

The association warned that it is ready to mobilize all legitimate democratic actions across the six states of the zone—Osun, Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, and Oyo—if WAEC does not rectify these lapses immediately. The safety and mental health of Nigerian students remain non-negotiable.