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The 3-year Ban For Examination Cheats
Recent developments in Nigeria’s education sector have laid bare the appalling rot eating deep into its foundations.
From the alleged mismanagement of ₦71 billion under the nascent student loan scheme involving banks and some universities, to widespread glitches in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), and from the leaking of English Language questions in the ongoing Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE), to the tragic collapse of a classroom block on SSSCE candidates in Taraba State, the signs are ominous. These events point unmistakably to a sector in severe decay.
Added to this is the revelation that over 75 per cent of candidates in the 2025 UTME scored 200 marks or below, with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) confirming that the examination had some technical glitches, with a good number having to resit the exam.
Perhaps the most disturbing incident was the leak of examination questions that forced candidates to sit for the SSSCE at night using torchlights, an action that has rightly attracted widespread condemnation.
In response, the minister of education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, directed that any candidate found guilty of exam malpractice should be barred from sitting for any external examination for the next three years.
While we share the minister’s concern and support all genuine efforts to curb this menace, we believe that this proposed punishment is cosmetic and selective.
The Nigerian experience has shown that examination malpractice is not confined to students alone. Parents, teachers, school owners, and even top officials in public and private institutions are deeply complicit. So, why then should only the candidates bear the brunt of punishment?
In previous years, parents were caught impersonating their children in critical examinations. What was the outcome of such a revelation? Beyond media coverage and public outrage, no real consequences followed. This underlines the entrenched nature of the problem and the reluctance of authorities to tackle it systemically.
Moreover, the Examination Malpractices Act, Cap E15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 already provides for stiffer and more comprehensive penalties. The Act outlines clear definitions of examination malpractice, including impersonation, the use of unauthorised materials, fraudulent devices, and collusion between candidates, and prescribes fines up to ₦100,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years. It also stipulates that only the Federal High Court can try such cases.
Thus, it is not the absence of laws that has made malpractice the norm. Rather, it is the consistent failure to prosecute offenders diligently and transparently.
We therefore urge the federal and state governments to collaborate to implement this law effectively. Furthermore, certain archaic provisions in the Act should be amended. For instance, the exclusive jurisdiction granted to the Federal High Court should be reconsidered to allow for faster and more accessible prosecution. There should also be specific timeframes for concluding such cases, to ensure swift justice and send a clear deterrent message to would-be offenders.
Mass sensitisation is also crucial. Many candidates, parents, teachers, and school proprietors remain unaware of what constitutes examination malpractice and the legal consequences. This knowledge gap must be closed through sustained public enlightenment campaigns.
Examination malpractice has become a cancer in Nigeria’s education system. It undermines the credibility of academic assessments and qualifications. If not decisively addressed, it threatens to devalue Nigerian certificates and flood the labour market with unqualified graduates.
As a newspaper, we urge the government to go beyond surface-level interventions like the proposed three-year ban. The root causes – lack of adequate preparation, undue parental pressure, a flawed value system, and institutional corruption – must be addressed.
Parents must reduce the psychological pressure they place on children and stop imposing subject choices and career paths. Candidates should be allowed to pursue courses aligned with their interests and abilities.
Security around examination venues must also be tightened. Invigilators and school officials who collude to enable cheating must be held accountable. Without stringent oversight, efforts to curb malpractice will fall flat.
Therefore, the fight against examination malpractice must be waged collectively, with equal commitment from government, educators, parents, and students.
If we do not act now, we risk raising a generation of certificate holders who lack the knowledge, competence, and integrity to drive Nigeria’s progress.
Leadership.ng
News
Stop Politicising EFCC Investigation To Blackmail President, APC Chieftain Tells Opposition Parties
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has cautioned members of opposition parties under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation to stop blackmailing President Bola Tinubu and focus on proving their innocence.
Oyintiloye, a member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council, said this while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo.
He said that the investigations being carried out by the anti-graft agency on some members of the opposition parties, based on petitions against them, were purely a constitutional matter and in line with international best practices.
Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker said that being a member of the opposition parties should not be seen as immunity against investigation into any alleged financial infractions whenever there were genuine reasons for it.
According to him, members of the ruling party are also being investigated by the EFCC whenever petitions alleging financial infractions are raised against them.
Oyintiloye said that the EFCC has a statutory mandate to investigate financial infractions involving public office holders across party lines without bias or favouritism.
The APC chieftain said that neither Tinubu nor the anti-graft agency would be swayed by unfounded allegations of witch-hunting but would rather continue to do what is right and just for the country.
“The EFCC has a mandate to investigate financial infractions against anyone, irrespective of political affiliations.
“Linking the President to the investigation of alleged financial infractions by opposition members in the name of politics is totally wrong.
“Whether you are a member of the ruling party or opposition, you are not immune to financial investigation.
“I want to caution members of the opposition parties to stop politicising what the EFCC is doing and prove their innocence, if any.
“President Tinubu is a man of honour and integrity, and he will not compromise his ideals in the name of politics. So, it is no longer business as usual,” he said.
According to him, there is no room for graft under the Tinubu administration
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged winner of the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election in Kano state
The returning officer, Professor Muhammad Waziri of Bayero University, declared Garba Ya’u Gwarmai of the APC winner with 31,472 votes
Waziri defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Ali Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured victory in the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election held in Kano state.
Announcing the results on Sunday morning, August 17, the returning officer (RO), Professor Muhammad Waziri from Bayero University, declared APC candidate Garba Gwarmai the winner with a total of 31,472 votes.
He defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes, according to The Punch.
The supplementary poll was conducted after the initial election in the constituency was declared inconclusive. With a margin of 3,541 votes, Gwarmai’s victory marks a key win for the APC as the party continues to reinforce its influence across the state.
Meanwhile, the NNPP won the Bagwai/Shanono state assembly by-election in Kano state.
Daily Trust and Vanguard noted this update.
Announcing the result at 12:36 a.m. on Sunday, August 17, the RO for the election, Prof. Hassan Adamu Shitu, declared the NNPP candidate, Ali Hassan Kiyawa, winner with 16,198 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Ahmad Muhammad Kadamu, who polled 5,347 votes.
Former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is performing well but lacks an effective communication strategy to relay its achievements to Nigerians.
Aliyu made the statement on the Thursday edition of Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’, while reacting to the outcome of a recent public accountability session held in Kaduna.
Aliyu, reflecting on the discussions at the Kaduna Forum, said the government is facing public dissatisfaction not because it hasn’t delivered, but because it is failing to tell its own story effectively.
The ex-governor said it is proper for political leaders in the North to make demands from Tinubu’s administration since the bulk of the votes that took power came from the region.
“Let the people understand what is happening on the ground. If by what we say that 63/64 percent of the vote came from the north, it is only logical that the north will be expecting so much from the government.
“But from what we have seen so far is that the government is doing well but they do not know how to communicate very well,” he said.
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