The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has revealed that National Examinations Council (NECO) question papers were allegedly obtained and sold for as little as N3,000 before candidates sat for their examinations.
Alausa made the disclosure on Thursday, September 3, 2026, during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other stakeholders in the education sector, where he raised concerns over the longstanding problem of examination malpractice in Nigeria.
The minister described the level of examination malpractice in the country as “mind-boggling”, warning that examination leakages and cheating had created an unfair system in which students who genuinely prepared for examinations could be disadvantaged by candidates who obtained questions before the scheduled examinations.
Alausa explained that the problem was particularly troubling because it could encourage students who would otherwise want to remain honest to engage in malpractice simply to compete with candidates who had gained access to examination materials illegally.
According to him, the situation had been allowed to persist for years, creating an environment in which examination malpractice became normalised within parts of the education system.
Recounting his experience in efforts to tackle the problem, the minister alleged that examination questions had previously been made available for purchase before candidates sat for the examinations.
He said, “They bought his question for N3,000. That was it. Before the examination.”
Alausa was referring to what he described as a system in which examination questions were allegedly obtained through an individual associated with the former Registrar of NECO, Ibrahim Wushishi.
The minister also recounted his experience during the 2025 examination period, saying he was repeatedly alerted to examination questions that had allegedly been obtained before candidates sat for the relevant papers.
According to him, officials sometimes had to verify the leaked materials with examination authorities to establish whether the questions being circulated were genuine.
He said some of the questions sent to him ahead of examinations were subsequently confirmed to be the same questions candidates were scheduled to answer that day.
The minister described the experience as particularly worrying because it showed that the leakage of examination materials could occur before candidates entered examination halls.
Alausa stressed that examination malpractice should not be viewed solely as a problem caused by students. He said responsibility also rested with the wider education ecosystem, including parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals and invigilators.
He argued that students were often the smallest players in a system where adults responsible for protecting the integrity of examinations could allegedly become involved in practices that facilitate cheating.
“You might be in that isolated school, but the school system is also involved,” the minister said, stressing that those responsible for establishing deterrents against malpractice must take greater responsibility for ensuring that examination processes remain credible.
He warned that continued examination malpractice could undermine the value of academic qualifications and create a system where examination results no longer accurately reflected students’ knowledge and abilities.
According to the minister, the consequences extend beyond individual examinations because students who gain qualifications through malpractice may eventually enter universities, professional institutions and workplaces without possessing the knowledge or skills their certificates suggest.
The Federal Government has consequently intensified its focus on examination integrity, with the Education Ministry pushing measures aimed at making it more difficult for candidates to benefit from leaked examination materials.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, also urged private school proprietors and other stakeholders to support the reforms.
Ahmad noted that stronger examination controls could initially expose weaknesses in students’ actual academic preparation, particularly among candidates who may have become accustomed to accessing examination questions ahead of time.
She said the introduction of serialised examination questions would make it more difficult for candidates to rely on leaked materials and would encourage students to prepare genuinely for their examinations.
The reforms are aimed at ensuring that students’ examination results reflect their actual academic abilities rather than access to leaked questions or unauthorised assistance.
Alausa urged parents, schools and other stakeholders to recognise that protecting the integrity of public examinations is a collective responsibility.
He warned that allowing malpractice to continue would not only disadvantage hardworking students but could also weaken confidence in Nigeria’s education system.
The minister maintained that the government was determined to reverse the culture of examination malpractice and strengthen standards across the education sector.
The revelation about the alleged N3,000 sale of NECO questions has once again brought the issue of examination security into focus, particularly the need to prevent unauthorised access to question papers before candidates sit for examinations.
For students preparing for public examinations, the development also reinforces the importance of relying on genuine preparation rather than leaked materials, while placing greater responsibility on examination bodies, schools and authorities to secure examination papers and protect the integrity of the process.
The Federal Government is expected to continue working with examination bodies and education stakeholders to strengthen safeguards against question-paper leakages, impersonation, collusion and other forms of examination malpractice.
The ultimate objective, Alausa said, is to restore confidence in Nigeria’s public examination system and ensure that academic qualifications represent genuine learning, merit and competence.
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