The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), which is a coalition of over 150 anti-corruption organisation, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to investigate the growing economic crime of examination malpractice in Nigeria with a view to curbing the menace and protecting the sanctity of the Nigeria education system.

CSNAC, in a petition forwarded to the acting chairman of anti-graft commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, and signed by its chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, said the illegal business is reducing education in Nigeria to a mere mockery and show of shame.

The petition reads: "It has been observed following investigations and several reports, particularly the reporting the BusinessDay Online newspaper dated the 23rd April, 2018 that there is a growing trend of online businesses whose brisk business idea is the provision of a website that allows secondary school students cheat their way into passing general exams such as WAEC, NECO and JAMB.

“The said businesses have taken examination malpractice to the digital space as the perpetrators leverage on internet capabilities and websites to increase both reach and sophistication in Nigeria, reducing education in Nigeria to a mere mockery and show of shame.”

CSNAC said that the modus operandi of the sites is that the sites always have all exam papers, probably a day or two before the exams, alongside the solutions to the questions.

“The said websites even compete for patronage like legitimate businesses. To gain access to the exam questions and answers, the students are required to send recharge cards of N400.00 while a subscription of N800.00 guarantees sending of the answers directly to the student’s phone.

“On these sites are the testimonies of Nigerian students, reproduced as follows:

“Thank you, XXX for making me pass.” “God bless you for saving me.” “You people are the best, I have distinctions.” “I just saw the testimony of a student on Exam Crown who got 7 A1 and a B3 from using their service.”

“So, we have students getting 8 distinctions now and 300 in UTME yet having no substance in their heads. These ones will gain admissions into university, blocking the chances of the good students who legitimately got their 5 credits and 220 in UTME.

“The rot in the education sector is particularly sad because it has ripple effects, spreading across all sectors. Imagine students using these sites to get 8 distinctions and 330 so they can go study medicine and surgery to become doctors. Imagine them wanting to become engineers, scientists, lawyers, etc. They would most likely have to oil their ways through school and come out deficient in whatever fields they find themselves in... even with great results.”

To assist the EFCC in its investigation, the anti-graft Network attached to its petition a comprehensive list of over 70 websites and social media platform involved in the illegal business of examination malpractices.

“On the whole, we have pertinent questions as to whether the affected exam bodies are unaware of the sites or some officials in the examination bodies are conspirators, or whether the operators of the sites are invincible and cannot be tracked and the sites shut down,” CSNAC said.

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