Members of staff unions at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria on Wednesday commenced a three-day nationwide protest over unresolved welfare concerns and allegations of unfair treatment by management.
The demonstration, led by the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), began at WAEC’s headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, at about 8:00 a.m., with similar protests held simultaneously across the council’s regional and state offices nationwide.
According to the union, the industrial action followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to WAEC management over nine unresolved matters, including alleged irregularities in recruitment processes and concerns surrounding staff welfare.
Chairman of NASU-WAEC, Kayode Ogunyade, said the daily protest, scheduled to run from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon, was intended to compel management to resume negotiations with workers.
“The protest is to press home our demands and get management back to the table,” Ogunyade said.
He added that the action reflected growing frustration among employees over management’s handling of longstanding grievances.
“If these issues are not addressed, it simply means management is not ready to resolve them,” he warned.
Ogunyade noted that any further action after the three-day protest would be determined by NASU’s national leadership.
The union’s demands were detailed in a letter dated May 5, 2026, and addressed to WAEC’s Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, by NASU’s national secretariat. The letter, signed by the union’s General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, was titled: “Re: A Call for Immediate Stop to the Shady Recruitment Interview Practices.”
NASU had warned that failure to address the issues within seven days would result in nationwide industrial action.
“Kindly refer to our letter on the above subject referenced NASU/EBL/88/VOL.XVIII/198 dated 21st March, 2026 and your response to the same, which we shared with our Branch Executive Officers,” the letter stated.
“The Branch Executive Officers have expressed concerns that the issues raised in our letter remain unresolved. These have further given rise to additional issues requiring your immediate attention,” it added.
Despite previous engagements with management, the protesting workers insisted that the demonstration had become necessary due to the continued failure to resolve the outstanding disputes.
