Students writing exams in dark, a national disgrace – Atiku
By Tunde Opalana
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has described as a national disgrace, the hearth rendering report of students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination in dark and unfit conditions across the country.
He said it is shameful that the worrying incident occurred just a day after the world marked International Children’s Day.
Atiku in a statement on Thursday said it is was not merely an unfortunate incident but a damning indictment of the nation’s systemic failure to uphold the most basic standards in public education.
“It is unacceptable, unjustifiable, and utterly indefensible that in 2025, our children are forced to write critical national exams in pitch darkness like second-class citizens,” he said.
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According to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the incident must awaken national conscience.
He added that it must compel immediate and sustained investment in critical social infrastructure, with education as the foremost priority, not in rhetoric but in tangible action.
“I therefore demand, unequivocally, that the affected examination paper be retaken in all compromised centres. Anything less would be a grave injustice to the students whose futures hang in the balance.
“Examination preparedness is a shared responsibility between students and the examination authorities. In this case, it is glaringly evident that the latter have failed spectacularly in their duty. It would be utterly unjust to allow students to suffer the consequences of such gross institutional negligence.
“Going forward, it is imperative that relevant authorities establish and enforce minimum environmental and infrastructural standards for all high-stakes national examinations. We must never allow such a shameful scenario to repeat itself — not under our watch,” he said.
