*Dr. Adesina Aladeloba, Dean, School of Environmental Studies of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, recommends offenders should face sanctions while tertiary educational institutions also should place greater emphasis on preventive measures than punitive actions to curb examination malpractices across Nigeria
Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect
The School of Environmental Studies of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has introduced a N1 million award to urge students against the menace of examination malpractices and related vices in the institution of higher learning.
ConsumerConnect reports Dr. Adesina Aladeloba, Dean of the School, who disclosed this development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria Monday, August 3, 2026, in Lagos, said the initiative, known as the ‘War Against Examination Crime’ (WAEC) Award, was designed to prevent examination malpractices by rewarding departments whose students recorded no examination infraction in an academic session.
The Dean, however, clarified that the ‘WAEC’ initiative for YABATECH, which was his brainchild, was different from the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) organised by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Why launching ‘WAEC Award’ under SEMIC?
The scholar also explained that the maiden edition of the award held June 24 this year, after assessing students’ conduct over two consecutive semesters.
Aladeloba further stated that any department in the institution whose students were not reported to the School Examination Malpractice Investigation Committee (SEMIC) automatically qualified for the award.
He noted: “The idea is to prevent examination malpractices rather than focus only on punishment. “If there are no cases, the Committee will have little or no work to do.”
The first edition, Dr. Aladeloba said, produced two winning departments out of seven in YABATECH.
He equally identified the winners as the Departments of Architecture and Transport Planning and Management, which shared the N1 million prize.
According to him, the prize money was presented directly to the students’ associations of the winning departments rather than their heads of department.
“The award belongs to the students because they are the ones we want to encourage to maintain integrity during examinations,” he said.
Effects of examination malpractices on societal development
The YABATECH Dean of School of Environmental Studies described examination malpractices as a crime with grave consequences for society.
Aladeloba said professionals who obtained qualifications fraudulently could endanger lives through incompetence in critical fields of human endeavour, such as medicine, engineering and construction.
According to him, as offenders should face sanctions, educational institutions also should place greater emphasis on preventive measures than punitive actions to curb the menace.
He expressed concern over the increasing desperation for paper qualifications in Nigeria.
The scholar further said this desire for paper qualifications had contributed to the growth of examination malpractices and the so-called ‘miracle centres’ in the educational landscape.
Aladeloba, therefore, urged government agencies to clamp down on operators of miracle centres and prosecute offenders.
According to him, eliminating examination malpractices requires a shift from paper qualifications to competence, practical skills, and value creation.
The Dean commended the Federal Government for its increasing emphasis on skills acquisition and vocational education.
He described the development as a step in the right direction.
Aladeloba said the initiative had already inspired healthy competition among students, with departments in academic institutions now encouraging their members to avoid examination misconduct in pursuit of the annual award.
He as well expressed optimism that the programme could be adopted by other tertiary institutions of learning as part of efforts at promoting academic integrity, while reducing cases of examination malpractices in the West African country.
It is recalled the Nigerian Senate, in the National Assembly (NASS), had passed the second reading of a bill seeking to transform the Yaba College of Technology into the Yaba Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies.