WAEC appoints Nigeria’s Dangut Registrar, CEO

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has appointed the Head of its Nigerian National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, as its new Registrar and Chief Executive Officer.

The appointment, which takes effect from October 2026, is for a five-year term ending in September 2031.

Head of Public Affairs, WAEC Headquarters, Accra, Ghana, Damianus Ojijeogu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday and made available to the WAEC National Office in Yaba, Lagos.

Dangut succeeds Alhaji Pateh Bah of The Gambia.

According to Ojijeogu, Dangut’s appointment was ratified by the International Governing Board of WAEC at its 74th Annual Meeting held in Accra in March 2026.

Born on October 2, 1967, Dangut holds a Bachelor of Agriculture in Animal Production, Master of Science in Animal Science, Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science and Master of Education in Administration and Planning.

He began his professional career in education in 1994 as an examiner at St. Louis College, Jos, before joining WAEC in 1998.

Since joining the examination body, he has served in various capacities, including Assistant Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Deputy Registrar/Controller at the council’s headquarters and branch offices.

He became Head of the WAEC National Office, Nigeria, on October 2, 2023, a position he held until his appointment as Registrar of the council on October 1, 2026.

Dangut’s reforms at WAEC

Ojijeogu said Dangut, during his tenure as Head of the Nigerian National Office, championed a number of innovations aimed at improving examination delivery, security, integrity and efficiency.

Among the initiatives credited to his leadership are the rollout of Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), serialisation of question papers and the introduction of a Digital Electronic Marking System.

He also oversaw the implementation of the Digital Certificate Portal, WAEC E-Study Platform and Digital Records Archive, as well as systems for examination logistics, timetable management and monitoring of examiners’ attendance.

Beyond WAEC, Dangut has served on the governing boards of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUPEB) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

He also represented WAEC at education policy forums, including the Joint Consultative Committee on Education and the National Council on Education.

The new Registrar is also a scholar with publications in national and international journals and has participated in several national and international conferences and educational forums.

Ojijeogu said Dangut currently serves as the Regional Representative of the West African Sub-region on the Executive Board of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA).

He is a Fellow of the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM).