JUST IN: WAEC appoints Suleiman Kum as new Nigeria National Office head

JUST IN: WAEC appoints Suleiman Kum as new Nigeria National Office head

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has appointed Suleiman Danlami Kum as the new Head of its Nigeria National Office (HNO), following the elevation of Dr Amos Josiah Dangut to Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the examination body.

Kum’s appointment was announced on Sunday, October 4, 2026, by WAEC Nigeria’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina.

He takes over from Dangut, who served as Head of the WAEC Nigeria National Office from October 2023 before assuming the position of Registrar and CEO of WAEC on October 1, 2026.

Kum, 56, joined WAEC on July 17, 1998, as an Assistant Registrar II and has risen through several positions during his more than two decades with the organisation.

Before his appointment as HNO, he served as Deputy Registrar in the Nigeria National Office and as Senior Deputy Registrar and Head of Test Administration.

His career has included assignments in several WAEC offices across Nigeria, including Awka, Yola, Makurdi, Gusau, Kano, Port Harcourt and Ikeja. He has also served as Director of Administration and Head of the Security Printing Department.

WAEC said Kum has extensive experience in test development, examination administration, examination security, branch management and zonal operations.

The council also credited him with contributing to innovations aimed at improving examination security and administration. These include the introduction of Variable Data Printing, enhanced security codes in examination materials, facial-recognition biometric attendance systems and the use of computer-based examinations for Achievement Tests.

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Kum is from Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State. He studied Agriculture, specialising in Animal Production, at the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, now Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, where he graduated with Second Class Upper Division.

He later obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the National Open University of Nigeria and is pursuing a master’s degree in Educational Administration and Planning.

Before joining WAEC, Kum worked in the education sector and also completed his National Youth Service Corps programme at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

His appointment comes as WAEC Nigeria continues to expand the use of technology in the conduct of secondary-school examinations.

The council has been gradually moving towards computer-based testing (CBT) while retaining paper-based examinations in centres without the infrastructure required for a full transition to digital testing.

The 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) involved nearly two million candidates in Nigeria, with CBT introduced in selected centres as part of the council’s gradual digital transition.

Kum therefore assumes leadership of the Nigeria National Office at a time when examination security, digital testing, result processing and the protection of the integrity of WASSCE remain key priorities for the council.

Dangut, his predecessor, became WAEC’s 14th Registrar and CEO after his appointment was ratified by the council’s International Governing Board. He is expected to oversee the operations of the examination body across its member countries from the council’s headquarters in Accra, Ghana.

Under Dangut’s leadership in Nigeria, WAEC advanced initiatives including computer-based WASSCE, digital electronic marking, the Digital Certificate Portal and the WAEC E-Study Platform.

With Kum now taking charge of the Nigeria National Office, his immediate responsibilities will include overseeing the council’s examination administration in Nigeria and sustaining efforts to strengthen examination security, digital innovation and the credibility of WAEC results.

JUST IN: WAEC appoints Suleiman Kum as new Nigeria National Office head