Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, has disclosed that examination questions were allegedly leaked to candidates before some National Examinations Council papers, with one case involving questions reportedly sold for N3,000.
Alausa made the disclosure on Thursday, September 3, 2026, during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other education stakeholders, where he spoke about efforts to tackle examination malpractice.
The minister described the scale of malpractice he encountered as “mind-boggling”, warning that students who prepare honestly are placed at a disadvantage when other candidates gain access to examination materials before scheduled papers.
Recounting one case, Alausa said the name of former NECO Registrar Ibrahim Wushishi had become associated with a platform through which examination questions were allegedly obtained in advance. “They bought his question for N3,000. That was it. Before the examination. They called him Wushishi and bought the questions for N3,000,” Alausa said.
He also recalled incidents during the 2025 examination period when questions allegedly obtained ahead of scheduled papers were repeatedly sent to him. According to the minister, some of the materials had to be checked with examination officials before they were confirmed as the actual questions candidates were expected to answer that day.
Alausa warned that widespread access to leaked examination materials could eventually pressure otherwise honest students into cheating because they would be competing against candidates who had seen the questions beforehand. “The danger was that the good students would also become bad,” he said.
The minister stressed that examination malpractice should not be treated solely as a problem involving students, saying parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals and invigilators also have responsibilities in preventing the practice.
He said addressing the problem would require cooperation across the education system to protect the credibility of examinations and ensure candidates are assessed fairly.
