Ensuring Autonomy: Shielding Exam Bodies from Legislative, Other External Influences

Kuni Tyessi writes that Nigeria’s examination bodies occupy a central nexus that is non-negotiable and remains an integral place in the country’s educational landscape, and should be encouraged to thrive

Bodies like the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) are not mere offices and lacklustre agencies. They are custodians of standards,  gatekeepers of merit, and guarantors of credibility in the nation’s learning, admission and certification processes. Their mandates, clearly spelt out in the laws establishing them, are designed to protect national educational goals through fair, transparent and standardised assessment of learners. However, growing evidence suggests that external interference, particularly from political actors, now threatens to undermine these critical roles in sustaining the country’s educational standards.

Assessment, placement and certification

Each public examination body derives its authority from specific establishment acts. NABTEB, for instance, was created under Decree 70, now Act 70, while NECO was established in 1999 to conduct the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). JAMB’s mandate includes administering the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), coordinating admissions into tertiary institutions, and managing a national admissions database. WAEC, operating as a regional body, conducts the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and issues certificates recognised across English-speaking West Africa and internationally.

Despite differences in names, their core functions come together in designing and administering examinations, certifying competencies, ensuring standardisation and quality assurance, disseminating critical admissions and assessment information, and continuously improving assessment methods. Collectively, these bodies form the bedrock upon which the country measures student readiness for higher education, vocational training, and participation in a competitive, knowledge-driven global economy.

On the other hand, the National Board for Educational Measurement, a professional body tasked with overseeing assessment processes, validating test standardisation, and ensuring that both traditional and performance-based assessments meet accepted benchmarks, provides the necessary support to these agencies. Its role emphasises the seriousness with which assessment integrity ought to be treated in a modern education system.

Why the stakes are high

The job of examination bodies has become more complex in recent years. Beyond administering millions of scripts annually across a vast and diverse country, they are engaged in an unrelenting battle against examination malpractice. Exam fraud has evolved from just impersonation into a sophisticated, technology-driven enterprise involving parents, tutorial centres, schools, and even some computer-based test (CBT) operators.

In response, these agencies have been forced to invest heavily in technology and logistics. In 2019, NECO procured 8,000 biometric machines and 20 Toyota Hilux vans at a cost exceeding N800 million to curb impersonation and improve examination monitoring.

Yet, the challenge persists. During the 2025 SSCE, NECO identified 38 schools across 13 states involved in mass cheating, while nine supervisors in states including Rivers, Niger, the FCT, Kano, and Osun were recommended for blacklisting for offences ranging from aiding malpractice to unruly behaviour and insubordination.

Similarly, JAMB has continued to upgrade its systems, embracing multi-layered technology built on detection, deterrence and prevention.

A special committee on examination infractions recommended deploying artificial intelligence to address increasingly sophisticated fraud patterns. The committee warned that malpractice was becoming dangerously normalised, aided by weak legal provisions and the complicity of multiple stakeholders.

These efforts are capital-intensive. Technology is expensive, nationwide logistics are costly, and the security of examination materials across thousands of centres demands meticulous planning and funding. In such a situation, stability, focus, and freedom from undue pressure are not luxuries. They are necessary to ensure a credible examination process.

When oversight becomes intimidation

Against this backdrop, allegations of political interference have triggered serious concern. Recently, a coalition of civil society organisations raised the alarm over alleged intimidation and extortion involving the Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Examinations, Hon. Oboku Oforji.

According to the civil society groups, the alleged actions include irregular engagement of consultants, unilateral foreign travel on committee funds, and demands for financial statements from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), allegedly to blackmail non-compliant agency heads.

The coalition also questioned transactions involving N62.7 million paid into the committee’s account and a partial refund of N43 million, calling for a thorough investigation. The groups warned that such behaviour, if left unchecked, undermines the progress made by examination bodies and erodes public trust. They further demanded the removal of the committee chairman and threatened nationwide protests should the parliament fail to act.

Hidden cost to parents and students

External financial pressure on examination bodies ultimately trickles down to ordinary Nigerians. It is parents and students who bear the cost. Many Nigerian families already struggle to pay registration fees for public examinations. Any additional financial burden imposed on examination agencies, whether through extortion, fund diversion, or forced contributions, creates pressure to raise fees.

Public examinations are meant to provide a level playing field, ensuring that access to certification and progression is based on merit, not wealth. Escalating costs risk excluding students from low- and middle-income households, widening inequality, and undermining the very purpose of standardised national assessments.

Silence, fear and vulnerability of exam bodies

One troubling aspect of the current situation is the apparent silence of examination bodies in the face of alleged political interference. While this silence is often interpreted as complicity, it may instead reflect institutional vulnerability within a system where power is unevenly distributed, and principles are inconsistently applied. When oversight turns into coercion, agency heads may feel constrained, choosing quiet survival over open confrontation.

However, this culture of silence carries its own dangers because it emboldens further interference and normalises practices that could ultimately destroy the administration of public examinations. Apparently, examination bodies cannot effectively fight malpractice, invest in innovation, or maintain credibility if they are constantly distracted by political pressure and financial harassment, given the inherent costs and distractions they entail.

Beyond politics, it’s about Nigeria

The integrity of public examinations is beyond politics and sectoral issues. It is a national imperative. Certificates issued by JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB determine who gains access to higher education, vocational training, and employment opportunities, and shape how Nigeria is perceived internationally.

Nigeria also operates within a wider assessment landscape that includes international examinations such as the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), widely known locally as the Cambridge Examination. Nigerian students who sit for such exams often do so to pursue education abroad, where credibility and integrity are non-negotiable. Coexistence with international assessment bodies places an added responsibility on local examination bodies to uphold standards that withstand global scrutiny.

Anti-graft agencies must intervene

If allegations of extortion and intimidation are substantiated, they represent not only ethical lapses but also potential criminal conduct. It is therefore not out of place to call on anti-graft agencies to beam a searchlight on such activities. Genuine legislative oversight is essential in a democracy, but it must be transparent, collective, and anchored in law, not driven by personal gain.

On this note, the National Assembly must ensure that its committees reflect integrity, competence and an understanding of the sensitive sectors they oversee. Examination bodies require oversight that strengthens, not cripples, their capacity to deliver on their mandates.

At the centre of the debate about external interference in examination bodies is a debate about Nigeria’s future. The nation cannot afford an assessment system compromised by political greed, financial intimidation or institutional weakness.

In an era where education is the primary driver of economic competitiveness and social mobility, safeguarding the autonomy and integrity of examination bodies is a matter of urgent national interest.

Examination bodies must be allowed to focus on their statutory responsibilities: combating malpractice, deploying modern technology, ensuring fairness, and maintaining public confidence. Anything that distracts from this mission, especially interference cloaked as oversight, threatens not just institutions, but generations of Nigerian children whose futures depend on a credible system of assessment.

Protecting these bodies from undue interference is ultimately about protecting merit, equity, and the promise of education as a pathway to national development.