The West African Examinations Council has named Mr Suleiman Kum as the new Head of its Nigeria National Office.

The appointment was made known in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by Mrs Moyosola Adesina, Head of Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria.

Kum is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management. He has published works in national and international volumes and presented academic and professional papers.

According to the statement, Kum joined WAEC on July 17, 1998, as Assistant Registrar II and moved up the ranks to become Senior Deputy Registrar in 2024.

Before his appointment as HNO, he was Deputy Registrar in the Office of the HNO.

He has also held several other positions in the Council, including Director of Administration, Zonal Coordinator in Port Harcourt and Ikeja, Head of the Security Printing Department, and Branch Controller in Gusau and Kano.

Kum served as Senior Deputy Registrar, Test Administration, from September 2025 to August 2026.

His experience covers test development, examination administration, examination security, and the management of branch and zonal offices.

WAEC said Kum introduced several administrative and technological innovations during his career, including Variable Data Printing and enhanced security features in the Council’s security printing operations.

He also led the introduction of facial recognition biometric devices to replace the Council-wide attendance system.

The statement added that Kum played a key role in delivering Achievement Tests through the Computer-Based Examination mode.

Kum was born on October 16, 1970, in Minna, Niger State, and hails from Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

He earned a Bachelor of Agriculture in Animal Production from the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, in 1992, graduating with Second Class Honours, Upper Division.

He later obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in 2025 and is currently completing a Master of Education in Educational Administration and Planning.

Kum began his professional career in 1993 during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme at the Division of Agricultural Colleges, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he was Head of the Animal Production Unit.

He then taught at Baptist High School, Jos, from 1995 to 1998, holding various roles including Form Master, Labour Master, Classroom Teacher and Health Master.

WAEC said Kum’s contributions to the Council have earned him several commendations, accolades and awards within and outside the examination body.

Kum takes over from Amos Dangut, who was appointed Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office in October 2023 and recently became the Council’s Registrar and CEO.

Dangut assumed office as Registrar and CEO on October 1, 2026, for a five-year term ending in September 2031.

Kum’s appointment comes at a time of significant changes in Nigeria’s education system, with new measures being introduced to strengthen the management of schools, projects and learning materials.

In September, it was reported that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) would begin full implementation of its 10-Year Universal Basic Education Roadmap, covering 2026 to 2035, from the first week of October.

The roadmap comes with the Basic Education Action Plan Management System (BEAPMS), a digital platform designed to improve the planning, monitoring and transparency of basic education projects across the country.

The Federal Ministry of Education has also released a new list of ranked and approved textbooks for use in Nigerian schools from 2026 to 2028. The list introduces unique QR tracking codes to improve monitoring and accountability around instructional materials.