Alausa reveals NECO question papers sold for N3,000 ahead of exams

Tunji Alausa, minister of education, has disclosed that examination questions were allegedly sold for as little as N3,000 before candidates sat for National Examinations Council (NECO) papers, describing the scale of examination malpractice in Nigeria as ‘mind-boggling’.

Alausa disclosed this on Thursday, at a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other education sector stakeholders, and cautioned parents, teachers, proprietors, principals, invigilators and students against conduct that could compromise the credibility of public examinations.

The minister said malpractice had for years gone largely unchecked in the country, creating a system that penalised students who prepared diligently while rewarding those with unauthorised access to leaked materials. He warned that this dynamic risked drawing honest candidates into cheating simply to remain competitive.

“Before she [the Minister of State for Education] and I came, the acceptance of examination malpractice, cheating and examination leakages in this country was mind-boggling, and the country accepted it. It was a nightmare and the danger was that ‘good students would also become bad,” he said.

Narrating a specific case, the minister alleged that a former NECO registrar identified as Ibrahim Wushishi had run a scheme through which examination questions were obtainable ahead of test dates.

“They bought his question for N3,000. That was it. Before the examination. They called him Wushishi and bought the questions for N3,000 before the examination,” he said.

Alausa also recounted personal experiences during the 2025 examination cycle, saying he frequently received leaked questions from contacts before candidates sat for the papers, prompting officials to verify authenticity directly with examination bodies, verification that at times confirmed the leaked content matched the day’s actual questions.

Alausa argued that examination malpractice extends well beyond students, implicating parents, schools, teachers, invigilators and principals who, he said, bear greater responsibility than candidates themselves.

“I don’t blame the students that much. Any child can be bad. But when we have an ecosystem where parents, schools, teachers, invigilators and principals are in full connivance, the students are the smallest players,” he said, insisting that deterrents must target those enabling the practice.

The minister linked the crackdown on examination malpractice to President Bola Tinubu’s wider reform agenda for the education sector, describing it as part of efforts to restore standards and rebuild public confidence in Nigeria’s certification system.

Suwaiba Ahmad, minister of state for education, backed the reform push, telling stakeholders that tighter examination controls may initially expose gaps in some students’ actual preparedness, particularly those who had grown reliant on leaked materials to sustain strong internal results.

She said the introduction of serialised examination questions was designed to make it harder for candidates to depend on leaked content, while pushing schools toward genuine curriculum delivery and consistent study habits.

The Federal Ministry of Education said it would continue engaging private school operators as the reforms are rolled out, amid longstanding concerns over leakages, impersonation, collusion and other forms of examination fraud in the country.

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