The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has revealed that NECO exam questions were allegedly sold for ₦3,000 before candidates sat for their papers, describing the scale of malpractice he encountered as "mind-boggling."
Alausa made the disclosure on Thursday, September 3, 2026, while addressing the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other education stakeholders. He said the practice was putting honest students at a serious disadvantage and warned that the government would not allow it to continue.
The minister recounted how exam questions were allegedly obtained before the scheduled examination, pointing to Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, who served as NECO Registrar and Chief Executive from 2021. According to Alausa, Wushishi's name had become associated with a dark website through which questions could allegedly be obtained ahead of time.
"The registrar of NECO at the time had a name. His name was Wushishi. You would go to Wushishi… I didn't know that 'Wushishi' meant going to the dark website," he said.
Alausa said candidates could reportedly pay ₦3,000 to obtain the questions before the examination. He also described his experience during the 2025 examination period, when he said he repeatedly received questions that had allegedly been obtained before candidates sat for their papers.
The leaked materials covered subjects including English and Chemistry, the minister said. He would send them to examination officials to verify whether they were genuine. The experience was troubling, he said, because it showed that examination malpractice was not limited to students attempting to cheat inside examination halls. Leaked questions could allegedly reach candidates before an examination even began.
Alausa warned that the government would strengthen measures to protect the integrity of public examinations and ensure certificates reflected genuine learning and merit.
"What are we doing? Desecrating the Nigerian system? It won't happen. Not under the watch of this President," he said.
He said the measures were part of the Tinubu administration's wider education reforms aimed at improving standards, accountability and trust in Nigeria's assessment system.
For years, examination malpractice in Nigeria has been widespread, with students able to access questions before they entered the examination hall. The minister's remarks put a price on how cheap the alleged operation had become.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, also urged private school owners and other stakeholders to support the reforms. She said serialised examination questions would make it harder for students to rely on leaked papers. She also urged schools to complete their curricula on time and encouraged students to prepare properly for examinations.
Alausa's comments come as the government pushes forward with education reforms under the current administration. The minister did not specify which NECO examinations were affected or how many candidates may have obtained the leaked questions. He did not say whether any arrests had been made in connection with the alleged leaks.
The NECO registrar named in the minister's account, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, has not publicly responded to the allegations. The minister's description of the dark website suggests the operation was organised beyond individual students attempting to cheat, pointing to a network that could distribute question papers in advance for a fee.
Alausa said the situation could not be allowed to persist, framing the fight against malpractice as part of a broader effort to restore confidence in Nigeria's public examinations. He said certificates needed to reflect what students actually learned, not what they could obtain before the test.
The minister's remarks to the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools placed part of the responsibility on school owners and stakeholders to support the reforms. Prof. Ahmad's comments on serialised questions indicated one practical measure under consideration to prevent mass leaks from being useful to candidates.
Whether the ₦3,000 figure represents a standard rate or a one-off price was not clarified in the minister's account. He did not say how many subjects were affected beyond English and Chemistry, nor did he describe how the leaked questions reached him during the 2025 examination period.
Alausa said he would send the materials he received to examination officials for verification, suggesting the leaks were being monitored even as they occurred. The minister's account describes a system where question papers could circulate before exams, with his own office receiving the materials in real time.
The government's response, according to Alausa, is to tighten controls around the examination process. He said the reforms were part of the Tinubu administration's wider education agenda, which he said aimed to improve standards and accountability.
According to Pulse.ng.
