NECO Faces Sabotage from Government Officials, Claims Former Chairman

Professor Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed, former Chairman of the Board of the National Examination Council (NECO), made a startling declaration at a gathering of educationists and policymakers this weekend. He claimed that certain officials in the Ministry of Education are sabotaging NECO, an indigenous examination body.

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Mohammed alleged that these officials do not want NECO to exist and have withdrawn N6 billion from NECO’s account. The money, which was collected as examination fees from candidates, has not been returned, and the officials have not informed NECO about its usage. “It is still a mystery how we conducted the examinations,” he said.

In addition to this, Mohammed stated that the federal government has not released any subvention to NECO for its operations. He also accused the government officials of showing preference for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) over NECO, leading to WAEC permanently conducting its examinations between May and June.

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The former chairman further alleged that the government and its officials are using the Orosanye report to stifle NECO. Despite these challenges, Mohammed proudly stated that NECO has been able to break boundaries, with educational institutions outside Africa now preferring NECO examination results to those of other examination bodies.

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In the same event, the Registrar of NECO, Professor Danlami Wushishi, announced the introduction of scholarships for top-performing candidates in the gifted children examination. He commended the dedication of NECO staff, stating, “My staff members have not failed me.”