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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
Many people are feared to have lost their lives as a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, en route Lagos from Benin, crashed in the Igbokoda axis of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on Monday.
The Ondo State Police Command Spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, who confirmed the incident to journalists in Akure, noted that details surrounding the incident are still emerging, as efforts to establish the full circumstances continue.
Jimoh said: “The Command urges members of the public, particularly residents of Igbokoda and adjoining communities, to remain calm and refrain from circulating unverified information.”
He stated further that the public will be duly informed as soon as further credible information is available.
Also, a statement by the Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, said that all efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive.
According to him, the wreckage has been located, and search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board.
“Whilst the control and regulation of military aircraft are completely outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation, and Civil Aviation Authority, I have just spoken to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke and pledged our total cooperation and assistance in the search and rescue efforts ongoing”, Keyamo added.
The identity of the helicopter and the persons on board are yet to be ascertained as of the time of this report.
The Olubosin of Ifetedo in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State, Oba Akinola Oyetade Akinrera (Latiiri I), has reportedly joined his ancestors.
Oba Akinrera, the fourth Olubosin of Ifetedo Kingdom, reportedly died on Friday, although the palace has yet to issue an official statement confirming his death.
The monarch ascended the throne in 2018 and was widely regarded by indigenes as a highly respected traditional ruler.
Before his emergence as monarch, Oba Akinrera, a lawyer and public servant, had worked in different capacities, including as a teacher, police officer and staff member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
He joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1988 and served until 1992, when he joined the NNPC in Lagos.
Born into the Ifetedo community, the late monarch attended CAC Primary School, Ipetumodu, before proceeding to Ifetedo Grammar School for his secondary education.
He later attended the Oyo State College of Education, which subsequently became the Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, and is now the University of Ilesa.
In 1993, he proceeded to Lagos State University, Ojo, where he obtained a Diploma in Law. He subsequently gained admission to the University of Lagos in 1997 to study Law and graduated in 2004.
Following his reported death, tributes have continued to pour in from indigenes and residents of Ifetedo, with social media platforms awash with condolence messages mourning the monarch.
Many of the messages described Oba Akinrera as a respected traditional ruler whose reign contributed to the development and unity of Ifetedo Kingdom.
As of the time of filing this report, the palace had not officially announced the monarch’s death or released details regarding his burial arrangements.
The Imo State Police Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, has revealed that security operatives have identified the location where 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in the state are being held.
This comes two days after gunmen abducted prospective corps members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The victims were travelling in two buses when the attackers struck along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State on Thursday.
Naija News reports that Bosso, while giving an update on the search-and-rescue operation in a media interview on Saturday, said security operatives have delayed moving into the camp over fears that it is planted with improvised explosive devices.
Bosso said the police used drones on Friday to locate the suspected camp after security operatives trailed the abductors into the bush, but the security agencies were being cautious because intelligence indicated that the camp had been mined with IEDs.
According to him, the security agencies were preparing to move into the area with heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, in an effort to rescue the victims safely.
He said, “Any moment, we’ll still move into the bush. Yesterday, we were in the bush, we trailed them up to a particular location.
“But at that point in time, we couldn’t move in to where the coordinate showed us where they are because we ran drones yesterday. And the drone actually showed us exactly their location.
“But our predicament is that with the intel we have, the IED is the camp is mined with IEDs.
“We are moving in there with high, you know, high-velocity vehicles, that is, bulldozers, we’re moving in with bulldozers and APCs to see how we’re going to rescue these victims unhurt.”
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