FG Frustrating NECO, Ex-Board Chairman Alleges

A former Chairman of the National Examination Council Board, Prof Abubakar Mohammed, has accused the Federal Government and officials of the Ministry of Education of frustrating the efforts of the council.

Mohammed alleged that the officials withdrew N6 billion of examination fees and have failed to account for it.

Mohammed disclosed this on Saturday at NECO Award Ceremony held in Minna, Niger State.

“The government and especially some officials in the Ministry of Education are out to sabotage the indigenous examination body. I do not owe anyone any apology for my statement, some government officials don’t want NECO to exist.

“The officials first withdrew the N6 billion found in the accounts of NECO. Till date, the money has not been returned and nobody even bothered to inform us what they did with the money,” Mohammed said.

Apart from this, he disclosed that the Federal Government has not released funds as a subvention to the council.

The former board chairman said there was an agreement on how NECO and WAEC should rotate the conduct of their examinations, but these government officials showed a preference for WAEC, making the regional body permanently conduct its examinations between May and June.

He alleged that those against NECO in the government and the ministry were using the Orosanye report to stifle the organisation saying that despite the anti-NECO stance of the government and some of its officials, the organisation has been able to break boundaries.

“Educational institutions outside Africa now prefer NECO examination results to those of other examination bodies,” he boasted.

NECO registrar, Prof Danlami Wushishi, at the event, announced the introduction of scholarships for candidates that come out tops in the gifted children examination.

He commended the dedication to duty by the staff of the organisation saying “My staff has not failed me”.