Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has raised fresh concerns over examination malpractice in the country, alleging that National Examinations Council (NECO) questions were previously obtained and sold for as little as N3,000 before candidates sat for the examinations.
Alausa made the allegation on Thursday during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other stakeholders in the education sector.
The minister described the level of examination malpractice in Nigeria as “mind-boggling,” warning that the practice was damaging the credibility of public examinations and creating an unfair environment for students.
According to Alausa, examination malpractice had been tolerated for many years, allowing some candidates to gain an advantage through leaked examination questions while students who studied and prepared honestly were placed at a disadvantage.
He warned that such an environment could eventually encourage hardworking students to abandon academic integrity and resort to cheating simply to remain competitive.
“It’s sad,” Alausa said, while recalling the situation before the current education leadership assumed office. He maintained that examination cheating and question leakages had become deeply entrenched in the system.
The minister further alleged that examination questions had previously been circulated and sold before examination dates. In recounting how the alleged leaked materials were obtained, he referred to former NECO Registrar Ibrahim Wushishi.
Alausa said the alleged questions were sold for N3,000 before the examination, describing the situation as an example of how examination leakages had become commercialised.
He also recounted his experience during the 2025 examination period, saying he repeatedly received messages containing alleged examination questions before candidates sat for their papers.
According to the minister, he would forward some of the materials to examination officials to determine whether they were genuine.
He said that, on some occasions, the response from officials confirmed that the questions being circulated were indeed the questions scheduled for that day.
Alausa said the experience caused significant concern because it demonstrated the extent to which examination integrity could be compromised when examination materials found their way into the hands of candidates before the scheduled time.
The minister, however, stressed that students should not bear the entire blame for examination malpractice.
He argued that the problem involves the wider education ecosystem, including parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals and examination invigilators.
According to him, students are often the least powerful participants in a system where adults responsible for enforcing examination rules may allegedly become involved in practices that undermine those same rules.
Alausa therefore urged parents, teachers, school owners, principals, invigilators and students to take responsibility for protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s examination system.
He warned that allowing malpractice to continue could have serious consequences for the quality of education and the credibility of certificates obtained by Nigerian students.
The minister’s comments come amid continued efforts by education authorities to strengthen examination security and reduce question leakages, impersonation, cheating and other forms of malpractice.
He maintained that restoring confidence in Nigeria’s public examinations would require collective action and stronger accountability across the education sector.
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For Nigeria’s examination system to command public trust, Alausa’s message was clear: combating malpractice cannot be left to students alone. Parents, schools, teachers, examination bodies and government institutions must work together to ensure that academic success is determined by preparation and merit rather than access to leaked examination materials.
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