The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has officially chosen a new leader to run its office in Nigeria. The exam body announced that Mr. Suleiman Danlami Kum is now the new Head of the Nigeria National Office (HNO).
This important news was made known to the public on Sunday, October 4, 2026, through an official statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs for WAEC Nigeria, Mrs. Moyosola F. Adesina. According to the announcement, Mr. Kum takes over the position from the former boss, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, whose 3 year tenure as the head of the Nigeria office officially ended on October 1, 2026. Dr. Dangut has now moved higher to become the top Registrar and Chief Executive Officer for the entire WAEC across all member countries.
The reason WAEC chose Mr. Kum is because he has worked with the exam council for a very long time and knows every part of how student tests are created, printed, and protected from cheats. Before taking up this new top job, Mr. Kum served as the Deputy Registrar in the Office of the Head of the National Office and was also the council’s Senior Deputy Registrar in charge of Test Administration until August 2026.
See Also: Tiwa Savage Accepts Teni Makanaki’s Boxing Challenge
Explaining how qualified and trusted the new boss is, the official statement from WAEC described his long record of hard work and honesty. In the statement released by Mrs. Adesina, the council praised him by saying: “Throughout his eventful career, Mr. Kum has shown integrity, diligence, innovation and a strong commitment to service. His leadership across various portfolios has earned him numerous institutional commendations, accolades and awards within the Council and beyond.”
Mr. Kum was born on October 16, 1970, in Minna, Niger State, but he comes from Langtang North Local Government Area in Plateau State. He completed his secondary school education at Baptist High School in Jos, Plateau State, where he got his General Certificate of Education in 1987. After secondary school, he went to the University of Agriculture in Makurdi, Benue State, where he studied Animal Production and graduated with a high degree in 1992.
The council revealed that Mr. Kum first started working for WAEC back on July 17, 1998, as a junior officer called Assistant Registrar II. Over the past 28 years, he worked in many different states across Nigeria, including Awka in Anambra State, Yola in Adamawa State, Makurdi in Benue State, Gusau in Zamfara State, and Kano State. While working in those places, his main job was to protect exam papers so that people would not leak them or cheat during WAEC examinations. He slowly moved up step by step until he reached the highest level in 2024 as Senior Deputy Registrar.
WAEC noted that Mr. Kum introduced many new computer technologies and safety codes to stop exam malpractice and keep students’ results safe. To make sure he keeps learning how to lead better, Mr. Kum went back to study and got a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the National Open University of Nigeria in 2025, and he is currently finishing his Master’s degree in Education Administration.
The exam body noted that Mr. Kum has already assumed his new duty as the overall leader for all WAEC activities, staff, and examinations inside Nigeria.
