Tears, frustration, and anxiety have trailed the release of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, results as thousands of students across Lagos and Nigeria groan over the *₦6,500* they must pay just to access their scores online.
For many families in Alimosho and other low-income communities, the new fee has turned what should be a moment of joy into another financial burden.
*“My mother sells pure water. She borrowed money for my WAEC registration. Now they are saying I must pay ₦6,500 again to check results I already suffered to write,”* said 17-year-old Tolu Adebayo, a student in Egbeda. *“I’ve been checking my phone since morning but I don’t have the money. What if I failed?”*
Across cybercafés in Ikotun, Iyana-Ipaja, and Ayobo, the story is the same. Long queues of anxious students clutching scratch cards and bank transfer receipts, many of whom pooled money with siblings just to afford a single check.
Parents say the timing could not be worse. With school fees, transport, and food costs already high, an extra ₦6,500 per child is forcing difficult choices.
*“I have three children who wrote WAEC this year. That’s ₦19,500 just to check results,”* lamented Mrs. Bola Adeyemi, a trader in Alimosho Market. *“Government says education is free. But from registration to checking results, everything is money. How do poor people cope?”*
Education advocates argue that the fee creates a barrier to information and increases the risk of students falling victim to fraudsters who sell fake “result checkers” at lower prices.
WAEC authorities say the cost covers the new digital portal, security features, and SMS services designed to prevent result tampering. But for students waiting by the hour, the explanation offers little comfort.
In several schools visited by _The Alimosho Mail_, principals confirmed that many students have not checked their results days after release because they cannot afford it. Some have resorted to waiting for teachers to print class lists, delaying admission processes into universities and polytechnics.
*“This is not just about money,”* said a counselor in a public school in Alimosho. *“It’s about dignity. These children worked for 3 years. They should not have to beg to know how they performed.”*
As admission deadlines approach, the fear is that many qualified but indigent students will miss out, not because they failed, but because they could not afford ₦6,500 to confirm that they passed.
For now, in cybercafés across Lagos, the groaning continues. A generation waiting for its future, but first, it must find the money to see it.
