Education Minister says exam questions were sold for ₦3,000; Describes examination malpractice in Nigeria as “mind-boggling”

• Tunji Alausa describes examination malpractice as “mind-boggling” and calls for collective action to protect public examinations

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has alleged that examination questions were previously sold for ₦3,000 before candidates sat for National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, describing the scale of examination malpractice in Nigeria as “mind-boggling”.

Alausa made the allegation on Thursday during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other education stakeholders.

He warned parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students against practices that could undermine the credibility of public examinations.

According to the minister, examination malpractice had been tolerated for years, creating an unfair environment in which students who prepared for examinations were disadvantaged by candidates who obtained leaked questions.

He said the situation could also encourage otherwise honest students to cheat in order to compete with those who had access to examination materials before the tests.

“It’s sad. Before she (Minister of State for Education) and I came, the acceptance of examination malpractice, cheating and examination leakages in this country was mind-boggling, and the country accepted it. It was a nightmare,” Alausa said.

He added that the practice posed a danger because “the good students would also become bad”.

Recounting his experience in efforts to combat examination malpractice, Alausa alleged that examination questions had previously been made available for purchase before examinations.

He referred to the then NECO registrar, Ibrahim Wushishi, while describing how the alleged sale of questions operated.

“They bought his question for N3,000. That was it. Before the examination,” Alausa said.

The minister also recalled receiving examination questions during the 2025 examination period which were allegedly obtained before candidates sat for the papers.

He said officials sometimes checked the material with examination authorities and found that the questions being circulated were the same ones scheduled for the day’s examination.

“During that examination period, during the hardest time of my life, I was always worried, waking up. I would wake up to her text. She would send questions to me,” he said.

According to Alausa, the questions could concern subjects such as English or Chemistry, prompting him to seek confirmation from examination officials.

He said the response was sometimes: “Unfortunately, that’s the question we’re doing today.”

The minister said examination malpractice should not be treated solely as a student problem, arguing that parents, schools, teachers, invigilators and principals also had responsibility for preventing candidates from gaining unfair access to examination materials.

“You might be in that isolated school, but the school system is also involved. In fact, I don’t blame the students that much. Any child can be bad,” he said.

He alleged that in some cases adults within the education system had been involved in facilitating malpractice.

Alausa said the Federal Government would strengthen measures designed to protect the integrity of public examinations and ensure that academic qualifications reflected genuine learning and merit.

He linked the reforms to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the government was seeking to restore standards in the education sector.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, also urged private school proprietors and other stakeholders to support the reforms.

Ahmad said tighter examination controls could initially reveal weaknesses among students who had become accustomed to obtaining examination questions in advance.

She said the use of serialised examination questions would make it more difficult for candidates to benefit from leaked materials and encourage genuine preparation.

The minister also urged schools to complete their curricula on schedule and encourage consistent study among students.

The Federal Government’s renewed focus on examination integrity comes against longstanding concerns over question-paper leakages, impersonation, collusion and unauthorised assistance during public examinations.

The reforms are intended to ensure that examination results provide a credible assessment of students’ knowledge and abilities while protecting candidates who prepare and compete fairly.