The Federal Government has proposed fresh dates for major national examinations in 2027, including the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and senior secondary school certificate examinations conducted by (WAEC) and (NECO).
Politics Nigeria reports that the proposed timetable followed a meeting between the Minister of State for Education and representatives of examination bodies and private schools.
The resolutions were contained in a communiqué issued after the meeting held on September 30, 2026, and signed by Dr Bukola Dosunmu, Coordinator of the FME-Government Private Sector Working Group.
Under the proposed schedule, the 2027 UTME, administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is expected to take place from March 15 to 25, 2027, with the results projected for release within March.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination is proposed to commence on April 1 and end on May 14, 2027.
Similarly, the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is scheduled under the proposal to run from May 11 to June 18, 2027.
The Federal Government said results from both the NECO and WAEC examinations are expected to be released in August 2027.
Also, the National Business and Technical Examinations Board, NABTEB, and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, NBAIS, are also expected to conduct their examinations between June and July 2027.
However, the government said the specific dates for the release of NABTEB and NBAIS results had not yet been communicated.
It stressed that the proposed examination dates were not yet final, noting that they remained subject to confirmation by the respective examination bodies.
Beyond the examination timetable, the Federal Ministry of Education introduced a requirement for schools seeking accreditation as examination centres.
According to the communiqué, accredited examination centres must ensure that at least 75 per cent of their teachers are licensed under the Teachers Registration Number, TRN, system by December 11, 2026.
The ministry said compliance with the requirement would be verified before the details of qualifying schools are uploaded to the designated registration portal.
It warned that schools that failed to meet the requirement would not be approved to serve as centres for any of the examinations.
“Further details and updates on the implementation of these resolutions will be communicated in due course,” the communiqué stated.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Plateau State-based human rights and conflict journalist, Lawrence Zongo, following his reported arrest by the Nigerian Army.
Zongo was reportedly arrested on Monday, October 5, 2026, after visiting a military medical facility in Jos to see relatives receiving treatment for injuries sustained in an attack in Bassa Local Government Area of the state.
Amnesty International said Zongo, a reporter with TruthNigeria and its volunteer, was arrested at a military hospital within Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Rukuba Barracks, where the headquarters of the Nigerian Army’s 3 Division is located.
The organisation alleged that the journalist had remained incommunicado since his arrest, adding that efforts to secure access to him had been denied by military authorities.
It described the reported detention as arbitrary and unlawful and called for Zongo to either be transferred to civil authorities or released immediately.
Amnesty International said, “Mr Zongo must either be handed over to civil authorities or immediately released.”
Conflict journalist Masara Kim Usman also confirmed the reported arrest, saying Zongo had gone to the military medical facility to see relatives injured in an attack allegedly carried out by suspected Fulani militants.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Kim said one of Zongo’s relatives had died before the journalist arrived at the facility, alleging that soldiers subsequently took him into custody.
He further claimed that Zongo had been held without charges and denied access to lawyers and family members.
However, the Nigerian Army has yet to publicly confirm Zongo’s reported arrest or detention.