How NECO Question Papers Were Sold For ₦3,000 Before Exams — Minister

Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa reveals how NECO exam questions were sold for ₦3,000 on the dark web before tests were conducted

Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa has exposed major compromises in Nigeria’s secondary school assessment system.

He revealed that National Examinations Council (NECO) question papers were previously sold online for ₦3,000 prior to test dates.

Speaking in Abuja during a session with private school proprietors, the minister described the scale of cheating as “mind-boggling.”

He cautioned school owners, teachers, invigilators, and parents against participating in fraudulent schemes that undermine public examination credibility.

Alausa emphasized that paper leaks disadvantage diligent candidates while forcing honest students toward malpractice to remain competitive.

Reflecting on systemic lapses, Alausa decried how widespread compromise had become normalized across academic centers.

“It’s sad. Before she and I came, the acceptance of examination malpractice, cheating and examination leakages in this country was mind-boggling, and the country accepted it. It was a nightmare,” he stated.

He warned that the biggest hazard was that “the good students would also become bad” just to survive the unfair system.

The minister detailed how digital syndicates traded live test items on dark web forums before scheduled examination hours.

“The Registrar of NECO at the time had a name. His name was Wushishi. You would go to Wushishi… I didn’t know that Wushishi meant going to the dark website,” Alausa explained.

He added, “They bought his question for N3,000. That was it. Before the examination. They called him Wushishi and bought the questions for N3,000 before the examination.”

The minister recounted frantic early-morning verifications conducted alongside senior officials during the 2025 examination session.

Describing the pressure surrounding daily operations, Alausa shared, “During that examination period, during the hardest time of my life, I was always worried, waking up. I would wake up to her text. She would send questions to me… She would say, ‘I just got this question.’”

He noted that intercepted copies of core subjects were immediately forwarded to test custodians for direct verification.

“It could be English or Chemistry. I was always waking up with trepidation every morning, doing work. I would send it to the HNO and ask, ‘HNO, is this correct?’ And the answer I got was, ‘Unfortunately, that’s the question we’re doing today,’” he recalled.

He confirmed, “So, that was a more aggressive intervention because we were seeing the question and confirming from the other side.”

Insisting that adult supervisors bear primary responsibility for examination fraud, Alausa declared that students are merely secondary players.

“You might be in that isolated school, but the school system is also involved. In fact, I don’t blame the students that much. Any child can be bad,” he remarked.

He added, “But when we have an ecosystem where parents, schools, teachers, invigilators and principals are in full connivance, the students are the smallest players. The people who should put the deterrents in place are the ones involved.”

He pledged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration will enforce strict technological measures to protect national qualifications.

“What are we doing? Desecrating the Nigerian system? It won’t happen. Not under the watch of this President. This is a country with rule of law. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is transforming this country in a way that’s never been transformed before. This is Nigeria renaissance that we’re building to be sustainable into the future,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Education Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad confirmed that newly introduced serialized question papers will effectively block unauthorized access to future examination materials.