THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is under intense scrutiny once again following the unexpected shutdown of its online result-checking portal, compounding public anger already inflamed by the historically poor performance recorded in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
News Point Nigeria reports that the portal, hosted at www.waecdirect.org, went offline on Wednesday evening, just days after the release of the WASSCE results, which revealed that only 38.32% of the over 1.9 million candidates obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, the worst national result in over a decade.
In a brief message shared via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, @waecnigeria, the examination body attributed the portal’s downtime to “technical issues”, promising that access would be restored within 24 hours.
“WAEC hereby informs the general public that the result checker portal @waecdirect.org is temporarily shut down due to technical issues.
However, the Council is working assiduously to ensure that candidates are able to access their results in the next 24 hours. We apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused you,” the statement read.
However, the timing of the shutdown, paired with mounting criticisms over the English Language results, has led to widespread speculation, distrust, and anger across Nigeria.
Many students, parents, and education advocates took to social media platforms to express outrage and confusion, alleging grading inconsistencies, poor logistics, and deliberate sabotage of students’ futures.
A recurring complaint centered on the English Language paper, which was marred by serious logistical failures. Reports indicate that the exam, originally scheduled for May 28, began as late as 8 PM at some centers, with students given just 30 minutes to complete a paper meant to last over two hours.
“We wrote exams at 8 pm. We were given one hour or 30 minutes to answer questions that should last two and a half hours. There was no light, and everyone was in a hurry to leave. Please rethink,” wrote @_samad1 on X.
“It is concerning that the English exam, which was delayed at centres nationwide, is now resulting in widespread failures,” tweeted @sikimark. “If JAMB could make amends, we hope WAEC will take steps to rectify the situation. It was a national disgrace.”
Numerous users shared screenshots showing candidates who achieved A or B grades in multiple subjects, only to receive D7, E8, or F9 in English, leading to questions about the credibility of the assessment.
“My daughter got five A1 and two B2, only to get D7 in English and Physics (withheld),” lamented @Johnway11145073, one of many parents seeking answers.
Others accused WAEC of using English Language grading to generate revenue, encouraging students to pay for remarking services.
“Just like JAMB, WAEC is gambling with the future of Nigerians,” said @JayTrezy. “If the majority of the D’s, E’s, and F8’s awarded in English are rechecked, WAEC will pay dearly.”
“We reject this year’s results, particularly the English and Maths. WAEC, please do the needful to avoid mass protests,” warned @pastorbtdaniels.
The outrage has sparked calls for a comprehensive review of the English Language scripts, and some have even demanded federal intervention. Users tagged the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Education, urging for external auditing of the examination and grading process.
“The students who were robbed and given abysmal grades in English should tag the Presidency and Minister of Education to have an external body revise the whole exam process,” tweeted @e_okwori.
“WAEC, please I am begging, help us check the English Language exam again. I can’t accept this result. I struggled so hard to get money and pay for this exam, and now you failed me,” pleaded @_DEYHOT_official.
The silence from WAEC on the specific complaints related to English Language grading and exam conditions has only escalated the criticism. As of Thursday, no official clarification has been issued regarding the logistics failures or calls for script reviews.