Tension is mounting in Ogun State as private school owners warn that thousands of Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) students could miss the 2026 May/June West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination over new compliance requirements introduced by the state government.
According to several proprietors, more than 70% of private school candidates may be unable to sit for this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination if urgent intervention does not occur.
What Is Causing the Crisis?
At the centre of the controversy is the mandatory Learner Identification Number (LIN) requirement.
School owners say the state government now insists that every student must possess a valid LIN before being cleared for WAEC registration. While the policy itself is not new, proprietors claim recent migration from the former OGSERA platform to DIPER has triggered serious technical issues.
Reported Challenges Include:
- Students previously registered on the system unable to retrieve their LIN.
- Missing student data after platform migration.
- Technical glitches affecting verification.
- Tight deadlines for WAEC registration.
Some proprietors argue that other states have largely completed WAEC registration, leaving Ogun private schools struggling with administrative bottlenecks.
Fresh Documentation Demands for Transfer Students
The situation appears more complicated for SS3 students who transferred from other states.
According to school owners, such students are now required to provide:
- JSS3certificates
- SS1 first, second, and third term results
- SS2 first, second, and third term results
Proprietors describe the timeline for submitting these documents as “unrealistic,” especially for students who may face difficulties obtaining records from previous schools.
Call for Governor’s Intervention
School administrators are appealing to Dapo Abiodun to step in and suspend the policy until the next academic session.
They are also urging the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abayomi Arigbabu, to reconsider the implementation timeline.
A viral message circulating within the state even warned that up to 700,000 private school students could miss the examination if the issue remains unresolved.
Government Fires Back: “We’re Fighting Exam Malpractice”
Responding to the concerns, Commissioner Arigbabu clarified that the LIN system was introduced about five years ago to maintain accurate student records across both public and private schools.
He insisted the policy is not punitive but part of efforts to curb examination malpractice.
According to him:
- Every student schooling in Ogun State is expected to have a LIN from the point of enrolment.
- The government will not clear any candidate for WAEC registration without proper platform validation.
- Technical glitches affecting genuine students are being addressed.
- The state remains committed to sanitising the examination process.
The commissioner further alleged that some schools exploit loopholes by registering candidates who are not the actual students sitting for the exams — a practice the government says it is determined to eliminate.
