The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to halt the plan by the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, to implement Computer-Based Testing, CBT, for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, warning that the initiative could trigger widespread academic failure, psychological distress, and even fatalities among students.

The decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance presented by Hon. Kelechi Nworgu on Thursday, who called for immediate intervention to prevent what he described as an impending crisis in education.

Speaking on the motion, Nworgu acknowledged that while CBT has been successfully utilized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, the current state of most secondary schools in Nigeria renders such a shift premature for WAEC exams in 2026.

He stressed that the Federal Ministry of Education’s plan to conduct the 2026 WASSCE via CBT, despite objections from the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, and school principals, would place millions of students at a significant disadvantage, particularly those in rural communities who lack computers, stable electricity, and internet connectivity.

“Most of the over 25,500 schools across the country, especially in rural areas, do not have functional computers or qualified computer teachers.

“Many students have never used a computer before, yet they are being compelled to take up to nine subjects, including theory and practical exams, through CBT,” he said.

Nworgu warned that the initiative is being rushed without sufficient groundwork and cautioned that its fallout could be severe, potentially resulting in mass failure, frustration, drug abuse, and other social ills among young people.

He recommended that WAEC and the Ministry of Education postpone the CBT rollout for at least three years, suggesting a more feasible implementation period around the 2029–2030 academic session, after necessary infrastructure and training have been established.

In response, the House directed WAEC and the Ministry of Education to immediately suspend the planned CBT initiative.

It urged the government to allocate funds from the 2026 budget for hiring computer teachers, constructing computer labs with internet access, and installing standby generators in schools nationwide.

The House also tasked its Committees on Basic Examination Bodies, Digital and Information Technology, Basic Education and Services, and Labour, Employment and Productivity to engage stakeholders in the education and technology sectors and submit a report within four weeks to guide further legislative measures.

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Owerri Zone, has threatened to resume its suspended strike from November 21, 2025, over the Federal Government’s failure to meet its long-term demands.

The Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Owerri Zone, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, stated this during a press briefing held at the ASUU Secretariat in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, on Thursday.

ASUU Owerri Zone comprises Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State University, Owerri, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

During the press conference, Aribodor, flanked by other members of the union, said members have no other alternative than to embark on the indefinite strike from November 21 if the Federal Government fails to utilise the eight days in between to negotiate with the union.

He said the press conference became necessary to alert every critical stakeholder in the Nigerian university system, and indeed, the general public, that time is running out to prevent a full-blown industrial action in public universities.

According to him, lecturers have been on the same salary for 16 years, and it is a dangerous trend for the Federal Government to be comfortable with lecturers being on the same salary for 16 years, with all the devaluations and inflation.

He said, “Please recall that ASUU, out of respect for students and their parents, the media, Nigeria Labour Congress and other well-meaning Nigerians, reviewed the then two-week warning strike, declared on October 13, 2025, and resolved to suspend the strike action on October 22, 2025, five days before the expiration of the two weeks.

“The union gave a month’s window to the government to resolve all issues. Eight days to the end of this one-month window period, where are we?

“ASUU Owerri Zone, regrettably, has observed with consternation, the government’s continuous failure to prioritise education as it perceives education as a commercial good that must be self-sustaining instead of a social good that can guarantee peace, progress and national development.

“The Zone further reviewed the progress made in the renegotiation process since the suspension of the warning strike over two weeks ago and rejected the proposed salary increment, which we consider an insult to Nigerian university academic staff.

“The proposal is not capable of bringing out the best among university lecturers and cannot reverse the perennial brain drain syndrome, which has devastated our universities for decades. The salary and conditions of service components of the renegotiation process remain a sore point that needs a radical approach to stem the tide in the system.

“To us in ASUU Owerri Zone, government functionaries are undermining the negotiation process by the subtle misrepresentation of offers and implementation of agreements just to score cheap political points.

“The part payment of promotion arrears dating as far back as 2017, the release of third-party deductions, which are part of members’ salaries for years, are mere confidence measures, and must not be construed as the substantial issues of the negotiation process.

“The government’s objective must not be to win the narrative but to solve the real problems. That’s the way forward. Government is hereby advised to utilise the remaining days to the expiration of the one-month window given to achieve a holistic resolution of the issues, particularly to uplift the take-home pay of academics in Nigeria.”

The union members insisted that, contrary to the claim of paucity of funds and economic downturn, evidence showed that there has been a quantum leap in the revenue profile of both the Federal and state governments.

They said in 2022, according to data from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, the states received a total of N3.92 trillion, while the figure for 2024 was N5.81 trillion.

According to them, it is the political will or lack of it, and not economic factors, that have been undermining the resolution of this renegotiation process, as the revenue profile above clearly supports this claim.

“This is an increase of over 62 per cent. Similarly, the Federal Government received N3.42 trillion in 2022 and N4.65 trillion in 2024, representing an increase of over 70 per cent.

“It is the political will or lack of it, and not economic factors, that has been undermining the resolution of this renegotiation process, as the revenue profile above clearly supports this claim. The Nigerian Government should not be comfortable with lecturers being on the same salary for 16 years, with all the devaluations and inflation.

“ASUU Owerri Zone is therefore calling on all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, students, the NLC, media and the civil society to urge the government to do the right things and give lecturers a living wage within the remaining days of the one-month window period.

“ASUU Owerri Zone also expects 100 per cent payment of all outstanding arrears, including 25-35 per cent wage award, three and a half months withheld salaries, promotion arrears and third party deductions.

“These are our minimum demands to avoid the resumption of the suspended strike to ensure industrial harmony in our universities,” the union members added.

Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri (AIFUE), has dismissed as false a viral online report alleging that the university admitted only 942 students for the 2024/2025 academic session.

In a statement signed by the Head of Public Relations, Nnaemeka Ijioma, and made available to journalists in Owerri on Monday, the university described the report as “malicious, puerile, and misleading.” It clarified that a public and well-documented matriculation ceremony held on April 4, 2025, announced the correct figure of 2,428 admitted students.

“The attention of the Management of Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, has been drawn to a malicious publication on Opera News claiming the University admitted only 942 students. Ordinarily, such an unfounded report would not merit a response, but linking this falsehood to Federal Government policy and TETFund funding is dangerous and misleading,” the statement read.

AIFUE stressed that the 2024/2025 admissions were processed through JAMB’s Central Admissions and Processing System (CAPS), which makes it impossible for any external source to fabricate accurate figures. The institution maintained that the official number of admitted students—2,428—was publicly announced and widely reported by reputable media outlets, including The Nation Newspaper and the university’s website.

The statement added that the university currently has a student population of about 10,000 and has already admitted nearly 2,000 students for the ongoing 2025/2026 admission cycle. It also urged qualified candidates to consider switching to AIFUE before the extended JAMB admission deadline of November 17, 2025.

The university further warned the operators of theglittersonline.com.ng to retract the “offensive post” and issue an unreserved public apology or face legal action. “We urge the public to ignore this fake news and rely solely on verified information published on the university’s official website,” the statement concluded.