The West African Examinations Council has come under increased scrutiny for temporarily shutting down its result checker webpage on Wednesday evening, which it claimed to “technical issues.”
The statement, made via WAEC’s official X feed, @waecnigeria, provoked more criticism as many Nigerians remain outraged by their dismal performance in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, particularly in English Language.
“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 notice read.
Wednesday’s notice has further fuelled speculation and public discontent over the examination body’s credibility, especially after Monday’s announcement that only 38.32 per cent of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat the 2025 WASSCE obtained credits and above in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, the worst performance recorded in a decade.
Across social media platforms, many candidates and concerned Nigerians pointed fingers at WAEC’s logistics failures, especially the delayed conduct of the English Language paper, which reportedly held late into the night at many centres on May 28.
On X (formerly Twitter), several users shared screenshots of results showing credit passes in other subjects but failure in English, calling for a comprehensive review of the English Language scripts.
Tweeting at @sikimark, Mark Imohi wrote, “It is concerning that the English exam, which was delayed at centres nationwide, is now resulting in widespread failures. If JAMB could make amends, we hope you (WAEC) will take steps to rectify the situation. It was a national disgrace.”
Another user, @_samad1, lamented, “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.”
Some applicants expressed anticipation that scores will change once the site was reopened.
“When the portal is reopened, you will see magic,” tweeted Daniel Ebitimi (@ebitimi_da15726).
Others alleged deliberate manipulation and revenue generation motives behind the poor grading.
“Just like JAMB, WAEC is gambling with the future of Nigerians. If the majority of the D’s, E’s and F8’s awarded in English are rechecked, WAEC will pay dearly,” @JayTrezy posted.
Parents also expressed their disappointment, questioning how studentss who excelled in other areas could flunk English.
WAEC has yet to provide more information on the English Language grading or respond to rising calls for a reassessment of the affected scripts.
