Six Northern States Owe NECO N1.8bn – Registrar Makes New Revelation

Prof. Dantani Wushishi, the Registrar and Chief Executive of the National Examination Council, has said that eight northern states owe the examination body to the tune of N 1.8 billion.

Wushishi said this on Saturday while speaking to journalists in Minna, stating that the debt piled up from state governments who promise to pay examination fees for their citizens but fail to remit the money.

He said, “State governments offer to pay examination fees for candidates from their states but when it comes to the actual payment, they don’t do it, and that has strapped NECO.

“Zamfara, Adamawa, Kano, Gombe, Borno and Niger state governments are owing the examination body N1.8 billion debt for the students they registered in 2019.”

He stated that the Council had not withheld the results of the defaulting states in the spirit of mutual respect, togetherness, and understanding, noting that the examination body had engaged the states in dialogue towards an amicable resolution of the matter.

Wushishi appealed to the governors of the six Northern states to meet their obligations by settling their debts to enable NECO to diligently discharge its responsibilities.

He also reminded them that it was with this money that NECO paid the staff involved in carrying out the examinations, in addition to buying needed materials for the smooth conduct of the Senior Secondary School Examination.