By Elizabeth Osayande & Ifunanya Ndigwe 

A devastating motor accident that claimed the lives of three staff members and regional security challenges have been identified as the main causes of delays in the conduct of Mathematics and Agricultural Science papers in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, for school candidates, 2026, in some centres. 

The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, confirmed this in a statement issued by the Head of Public Affairs, Mrs Moyosola Adesina, on Monday, June 8, where she expressed concern over the reports of the delays.

Adesina explained that the Council immediately commenced preliminary investigations to ascertain the root causes of the incident and prevent any recurrence for the remainder of the examination period. According to the Head of Public Affairs, the primary cause of the delay was a tragic vehicle accident that occurred on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, which claimed the lives of three dedicated personnel who were transporting sensitive examination materials interstate.

She said, “The delay was a direct result of a devastating motor accident on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, which tragically claimed the lives of three of our dedicated personnel who were transporting sensitive examination materials interstate.”.

Adesina further noted that the council also faced severe disruptions from regional security issues, including mass protests triggered by the abduction of school children, which heavily compromised the material distribution schedule and led to the late start times.

She added, “This heartbreaking loss, coupled with prevailing regional security challenges, severely compromised our distribution schedule, which inadvertently led to the delayed start times.”.

Apart from security and the accident, the council stated that other operational issues played a part in the delays, such as finalizing the mode of conduct for the examination and the subsequent late registration of candidates, which affected the timely preparation of examination materials.

She said, “Other factors include the issues of finalizing the mode of conduct of the examination and the subsequent late registration of candidates, which affected the timely preparation of examination materials.”.

Despite mourning the loss of their colleagues, the WAEC team worked tirelessly through the clock to deploy emergency contingency measures so that the affected areas could still take the papers.

The council assured the general public that modalities have been firmly established to guarantee that the remaining papers are conducted without any hitches, pointing out that the smooth operations observed on Friday, June 5, 2026, proved that these new measures are working.

Adesina expressed appreciation to the Federal and State Ministries of Education, the Nigeria Police, and other security agencies for their continuous support and cooperation, describing them as worthy partners in helping the council deliver on its educational mandate as WAEC remains unwavering in maintaining its academic credibility and administrative integrity.