Tunji Alausa

The Federal Government has directed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) to fully transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for all their examinations by 2026.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the announcement on Monday during a monitoring exercise of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) alongside officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Bwari, Abuja.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, over two million candidates are sitting for the ongoing UTME across more than 800 centres nationwide.

Dr. Alausa stated that both WAEC and NECO would begin administering objective sections of their exams via CBT starting November 2025, with full CBT adoption—including essay sections—scheduled for May/June 2026.

“If JAMB can successfully conduct CBT exams for more than 2.2 million candidates, WAEC and NECO can do the same,” Alausa said. “By the 2026 exams, both the objectives and the essays will be fully on CBT. That is how we can eliminate exam malpractices.”

The minister further disclosed that a committee is currently reviewing examination standards nationwide, with recommendations expected by next month.