NECO
FG and NECO puzzle. Prof Abubakar Mohammed, a former Chairman of the National Examination Council Board, has accused the Federal Government and Ministry of Education officials of undermining the council’s activities.
Mohammed claimed that officials withdrew N6 billion in examination fees and did not account for it.
Mohammed made the announcement on Saturday during the NECO Award Ceremony in Minna, Niger State.
“The government, particularly some officials in the Ministry of Education, is attempting to undermine the indigenous examination body.” I owe no apologies for my statement; certain government officials oppose NECO’s existence.
“First, the officials withdrew the N6 billion discovered in NECO’s accounts.” The money has yet to be returned, and no one has bothered to tell us what they did with it,” Mohammed stated.
Aside from that, he revealed that the Federal Government (FG) has not delivered monies to the council as a subvention.
According to the previous board chairman, there was an agreement on how NECO and WAEC should cycle the conduct of their examinations, but these government officials preferred WAEC, forcing the regional body to conduct its examinations permanently between May and June.
He claimed that individuals opposed to NECO in the government and the ministry were exploiting the Orosanye report to suppress the organization, claiming that despite the government’s and some of its officials’ anti-NECO position, the organization had been able to break boundaries.
“Educational institutions outside Africa now prefer NECO examination results to those of other examination bodies,” he went on to say.
At the event, NECO registrar Prof Danlami Wushishi announced the establishment of scholarships for candidates who place first in the talented children examination.
He praised the organization’s workforce for their dedication to duty, saying, “My staff has not failed me.”