Timothy Manga, a WAEC official based in Makurdi, stated that strict computer-based testing remained the most effective method to reduce examination malpractice and eliminate so-called miracle centres.
Manga spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria. He addressed growing concerns over malpractice and its effect on the credibility of public examinations and certificates. He said WAEC continued to monitor reports of centres that enabled cheating.
“We need an examination system where success is determined by knowledge, preparation, and competence, not by the ability to access assistance during examinations,” Manga said. He added that the council had not received confirmed reports of any specific miracle centre.
“Though WAEC has not gotten any information on any school being a miracle centre, we would continue to put our ears to the ground in case we hear of any that we can set an example with,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Ezekiel, a teacher at NKST Secondary School in Makurdi, supported the shift. She said independent examination centres would limit the influence of schools and teachers over WAEC and NECO papers.
Ezekiel noted that computer based testing would allow examination bodies to control venues, personnel and security more effectively.
“Candidates should be examined under conditions that are independent of the schools where they receive instructions,” she said.
In related developments, Amos Dangut, the Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, earlier reported that the 2026 computer based West African Senior School Certificate Examination recorded lower malpractice rates.
The council withheld 167,486 results, representing 8.59 per cent of candidates. This figure marked a drop from 9.7 per cent in 2025.
Dangut attributed the improvement to computer based testing combined with the serialisation of question papers. The measures made collusion harder because no two candidates received questions in the same sequence. The council also introduced the Digital Examiner Mark System to speed up processing.
WAEC therefore continued to promote computer-based testing as a core tool against malpractice while expanding related security steps across examination centres.
