WAEC Staff Tells Management to Obey Court Order

Workers at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria have called on the council’s management to respect ongoing legal processes, warning that continued concerns over staff welfare and alleged unfair labour practices could push the organisation into a nationwide strike.

The workers, under the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), WAEC Nigeria branch, made their position known on Monday during an emergency general meeting at the National Office in Yaba, Lagos.

In a speech delivered at the congress and made available to ExamGuide by the NASU branch chairman, Comrade Matthew Kayode Ogunyade, the union accused WAEC management, led by the Head of National Office (HNO), Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, of committing contempt of court and deliberately provoking an industrial crisis.

According to the NASU branch chairman, WAEC management approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria on July 17, 2026, to secure an interim injunction restraining the union from embarking on a planned strike.

However, the union claimed that management had continued to make pronouncements and alter structures on issues currently pending before the judge.

“Management has continued to engage in activities that contravene the spirit of that court process,” Ogunyade stated. “This constitutes a direct violation of the principle of lis pendens and amounts to contempt of court. We, therefore, demand that Dr Dangut and the entire management immediately retrace their steps, obey the court process, and allow the law to take its course.”

The union said it had previously issued a 14-day ultimatum to down tools across all WAEC offices nationwide over nine critical grievances.

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One of the major grievances is the reduction of the 2026 WASSCE (School Candidate) packing duration to a 24-hour schedule. NASU disclosed that the pressure created by the tight timeline allegedly resulted in the deaths of three staff members due to extreme fatigue.

According to the union, management reverted to the original 48-hour schedule only after the fatalities occurred.

Other unresolved issues fueling the dispute include the suspension of the staff upgrade programme after workers had spent personal resources preparing for it, as well as the alleged imposition of the Minimum Net Pay Balance Policy.

NASU also raised concerns over the unilateral constitution of disciplinary panels without union representation, which it said led to the allegedly unfair dismissal of workers, including Mr Sanni Moshood, Mr Olaniyan Adewale Ezekiel and five staff members in the Benin office.

The union further cited the denial of promotions, specifically mentioning NASU branch treasurer, Miss Elizabeth Okolie, who was allegedly denied promotion following a minor incident at the WAEC Press House in Lagos.

NASU also accused the management of indiscriminate recruitment of contract staff and structural manipulation to poach members from the Examination Administrative Officers Cadre in an attempt to weaken collective bargaining.

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The union noted that management had held several conciliatory meetings with it, including a session that lasted from 3:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. the following day.

However, NASU said the meetings failed to yield progress due to management’s “evasiveness and resistance.”

The breakdown of the talks had initially set the stage for a nationwide shutdown on July 22, 2026, before the court intervention.

In a move aimed at protecting Nigerian students and preserving the credibility of regional examinations, NASU called on the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Administrative and Finance Committee (A&F) of WAEC to intervene in the dispute.

The union maintained that although it did not want to disrupt council activities, it would not compromise on the dignity and welfare of its workforce.

“A peaceful, motivated, and fairly treated workforce is the bedrock of credible examinations,” Ogunyade concluded. “Management must choose dialogue over dictatorship and law over impunity.”

When reached for comment on the development, WAEC Nigeria spokesperson, Mrs Moyosola Adesina, stated that the matter was currently before the court.

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