WAEC Workers Suspend 3-Day Protest, Issue Fresh Ultimatum Over Removal of HNO, Amos Dangut

Workers of the West African Examinations Council have stepped back from the streets, but not from the fight. After a three-day nationwide protest that rattled the council's national office in Yaba, Lagos, staff under the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions suspended their industrial action on Friday, even as they made clear that the ceasefire is temporary and conditional.

The protest, which began on Wednesday, saw workers march from WAEC's Yaba headquarters to the council's Special Printing Division in Somolu, carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, in a demonstration that drew attention to a simmering crisis within one of West Africa's most critical examination bodies.

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Speaking after the suspension of the protest, Chairman of NASU-WAEC, Mr Kayode Ogunyade, said the union had streamlined its agitation to demand the removal of the Head of National Office, Amos Dangut.

"The only subject we have now is that we have decided to put aside all other demands. We are now asking for one demand," Ogunyade said in an interview.

Asked what the demand was, he left no room for ambiguity: "The one demand which is our distinct demand now is that Dangut must go. That is the song we are singing now." 

The pivot to a pointed demand marks a significant shift in strategy for the union, which had previously raised a catalogue of grievances against WAEC management. According to Ogunyade, the union decided after meetings with stakeholders and management failed to yield any concrete results. 

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He disclosed that the union held meetings with the WAEC Pension Welfare Association and management following Thursday's protest, but no agreement was reached.

"At the end of the whole meeting, we could not achieve any results. We changed our song on Friday. We changed our agenda," He said.

Despite returning workers to their duty posts, Ogunyade made plain that the suspension of the protest should not be mistaken for a retreat.

"The next line of action will be the next line of action. We are the ones who survived the previous protests. We have the potential to do it again," he stated.

He nonetheless confirmed that normal operations had resumed and that ongoing examinations would not be disrupted. "Yes, everybody is back to work," he said, adding, "Exams will still go on." 

The grievances behind the protest run deep. Workers accused management of intimidation, discriminatory practices, and poor welfare conditions. Ogunyade had earlier alleged that union members faced victimisation after a previous strike over minimum wage issues in December 2024. 

He also criticised what he described as excessive workload on workers amid declining manpower, noting that WAEC officials covered all the 774 local government areas during examinations. The union further raised concerns over recruitment practices, disciplinary procedures, and career progression within the council.

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WAEC, for its part, pushed back against the allegations. The council, through its Public Affairs Department, said examination activities remained seamless despite the protest and defended the adjustment of the examination timetable, attributing it to the reduction of subjects from 76 to 38. WAEC also denied allegations of indiscriminate dismissals and unfair sanctions, insisting that disciplinary actions were carried out in line with established regulations.

The standoff places WAEC management in an uncomfortable spotlight at a particularly sensitive time. The 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination is currently underway, and any escalation of the industrial dispute could have far-reaching consequences for hundreds of thousands of students sitting the exam across Nigeria and the sub-region.

With management refusing to budge and the union now laser-focused on the removal of the Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, the coming days will be decisive. The suspension of the protest has bought both sides a narrow window; how they use it will determine whether this simmers down or boils over.