The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Wednesday released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for School Candidates, with 1,200,514 candidates obtaining five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, the benchmark for admission into higher institutions.
Addressing journalists at the Council’s National Office in Yaba, Lagos, Head of the Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, described the release as a milestone for the Council, noting that it marked his third and final results announcement before leaving office.A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the examination conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026.
According to him, 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, have had their results fully processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates (5.95 per cent) are still being processed due to unresolved issues. “Efforts are, however, being made to speedily complete the process and release the affected candidates’ results within a couple of days,” he assured.
Giving a breakdown of candidates’ performance, Dangut disclosed that 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.
However, 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, secured credits and above in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
He noted that the figure represents a 1.42 per cent decline compared to the 2025 examination. Of those who attained the benchmark, 558,883 (28.65 per cent) were males, while 641,631 (32.89 per cent) were females.
The WAEC boss also announced that the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent, have been withheld over allegations of examination malpractice.
According to him, “The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organized cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues.”He explained that all reported cases are undergoing investigation and that the Council’s Nigeria Examinations Committee would take final decisions after reviewing the reports.
Candidates dissatisfied with malpractice decisions, he added, can now seek redress through the Council’s online complaints platform.On how candidates can check their results, Dangut announced a major change in the result-checking process, explaining that WAEC has abolished the Smart Identity Card containing result checker PINs.
He said the Council introduced the innovation because many schools failed to release the cards to candidates after examinations.
“As part of its efforts in ensuring that quality service is rendered to the Nigerian child, the Council has phased out the printing of Candidates’ Smart Identity Card, which contains result checker PIN.”This is because it has been observed that several schools do not release the cards to the candidates to access their results when the results are released.”
He explained that candidates can now generate their own e-PIN directly from WAEC’s Digital Certificate platform.1. To generate the PIN, candidates are required to:Visit www.waec.org2. Select the “Serial Number and PIN” menu
3. Choose the examination year and diet4. Enter their examination number and the same NIN used during registration5. Provide their email address and phone number to receive a One-Time Password (OTP)6. Input the OTP to recover their serial number and PIN.Dangut disclosed that candidates who exhaust the five free attempts can subsequently purchase result checker PINs from WAEC offices.
He added that candidates whose schools have fulfilled all financial obligations can access their results on the Council’s portal within 12 hours of the announcement. “Candidates should after checking the result online, apply for their Digital Certificate which will be released forty-eight (48) hours thereafter,” he stated.He further disclosed that hard copies of certificates would be ready within 90 days.
The WAEC boss also revealed that 1,213 candidates living with disabilities, including visually impaired, hearing-impaired, physically challenged and mentally challenged candidates, participated in the examination and had their results released alongside other candidates.