By Bala Yahaya. Minna.
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago has approved the release of Thirty Million Naira monthly to pay off outstanding debts owed the examination body by previous administrations.
He announced this when he received the management of National Examinations Council, NECO, led by the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Danteni Ibrahim Wushishi, at the government house, Minna.
Governor Umar Bago who expressed concerned over the fluctuating turnout and performance of registered students for Senior Secondary School Examinations in the state,directed the Secretary to the state government (SSG), to look into the root causes.
The governor enjoined the examination body to collaborate with the state government in order to address the challenges of out-of -school children and girl child education, he also called on NECO to support vocational training so as to have students that are self reliance.
Governor Bago who assured that he will volunteer to assist NECO recover it’s huge debts owed by other states across the country, advised it to sponsor educational activities such as essay writing as well as deploy some of their human resources to class rooms to teach and do mentorship.
“We have not felt NECO in terms of corporate social responsibility,we have not seen a block of class room that has been fixed by NECO,pointing out that you can not be a tenant in our state and not add value to our people and communities”, Bago said.
Speaking earlier, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, NECO, Professor Danteni Ibrahim Wushishi, appealed to governor Umar Bago to make NECO examinations compulsary for all the public schools in the state, promised that NECO will partner with the state to enhance education in line with its core values.
Professor Wushishi who disclosed that the state has experienced a fluctuating registration figures for the senior secondary school examinations from 2018-2022, sought for more collaboration between the council and the state.