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Emir
cautions critics of NECO
By
Chinwendu Nnadozie
Special
Correspondent,
Minna
The Emir of
Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago has advised those antagonising the
National Examinations Council (NECO) to desist and think of ways of
contributing to the education sector.
Receiving
the Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, who
visited him as part of events marking the fifth year of the examination
body, the emir said he is happy that the trial moments of the examinations
body is over.
He recalled
the past when NECO certificate was rejected by tertiary institutions
within and outside the country. He explained that current situation has
proved critics wrong that NECO examinations are inferior to others in that
category.
Apart from
conducting various examinations in the past five years, NECO, the monarch
said has contributed to reducing the number of unemployed persons in
Nigeria.
Unlike in
the past years when conducting exams and release of results took a year
and beyond, Bahago said the emergence and sustenance of NECO has brought
succour to Nigerian post-primary school students.
The Emir
expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for enacting a law
establishing NECO and urged critics to brace up to the challenges of
working towards the growth and sustenance of the examinations body that
has come to stay.
He said
NECO is competing favourably with the West African Examination Council
(WAEC) and similar examination bodies in the conduct of post-primary
examinations, stressing that the believe in some quarters that NECO exams
were made simpler than others in order to attract sympathy was
false.
Ojerinde
said they were at the palace to inform the Emir of the activities to mark
the fifth year of NECO and the need for him to be part of the
event.
He also
solicited for the support and cooperation of the traditional ruler and his
subjects to the continued existence and sustenance of NECO that has its
headquarters in Minna, the Niger State.
It was
learnt that Oderinde visited the state Chairman Council of Chiefs and Emir
of Bida, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, former military president, General
Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalam Abubakar who signed the decree
establishing NECO.
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