Workers of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) are set to embark on a three-day protest over alleged management highhandedness, illegal recruitment and imposition of pay policies.

The industrial action, scheduled to begin Wednesday at the council’s headquarters in Lagos, is expected to spread across WAEC offices nationwide, including regional and state offices.

The protest is being organised by the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), which accused the WAEC management of unilateral decisions, breach of seniority principles, and punitive administrative actions against staff.

In a letter dated May 5 and signed by NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, the union listed several grievances and issued a seven-day ultimatum for resolution before the planned action.

Among the issues raised are suspension of staff upgrade programmes, alleged imposition of a minimum net pay policy, constitution of investigative panels without consultation, recruitment concerns, and changes to the WASSCE examination structure.

NASU said its members unanimously agreed to proceed with the protest after the expiration of the ultimatum, following an online meeting of its branches nationwide.

The union added that the industrial action could be escalated if management fails to address its demands.

However, WAEC management, in a response dated May 8, denied several of the allegations, insisting that it operates within established conditions of service and has remained responsive to staff concerns.

It also clarified that some policy decisions, including the adjustment of WASSCE duration, were in line with directives from the Federal Ministry of Education.

The examination body also said it had suspended the proposed minimum net pay policy and maintained that grievance procedures exist for staff to seek redress.

Despite assurances that it would conduct a hitch-free 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for 1,959,636 candidates across 24,207 schools, the looming protest raises concerns over possible disruptions.

This is not the first time WAEC workers have embarked on industrial action, as similar protests were recorded in 2024, which disrupted operations at several offices in Lagos.

As of filing this report, WAEC had not officially commented on the planned protest. (Vanguard)

Update news