Former Heads-of-State, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar have said the National Examinations Council (NECO) is crucial to the educational development of the country.
The former military leaders commended the council’s registrar, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, for the various reforms initiated since assumption of office.
The elder statesmen made the commendations when Wushishi led NECO management on separate visits to the leaders at their hilltop mansions in Minna, Niger State.
A statement, yesterday, by the acting Director of Information and Digital Communication of the Council, Azeez Sani, said the two former leaders rallied support for the council.
Speaking at the residence of Babangida, Wushishi enumerated the various challenges he inherited on assumption of duty, listing them to include dearth of basic facilities like office furniture, photocopying machines, operational vehicles and absence of decent office accommodation in most states of the federation and low staff morale.
He, however, disclosed that most of the challenges had been surmounted owing to judicious use of resources and initiation of laudable reforms that have turned around the fortunes of the examination body.
The former military president expressed delight over the various reforms initiated by the registrar to place NECO on world map.
He further said: “NECO is an important institution which has a great role to play in the educational development of Nigeria. I, therefore, urge you and your management not to relent in your efforts in sustaining this very important government institution.”
Also, Abdulsalami, after listening to the registrar’s speech, commended him for his ability to overcome the challenges and put NECO in its rightful place among the comity of examination bodies in the world.
Abdulsalami, whose administration established NECO in 1999, expressed happiness that despite the initial teething problems, the council has come to stay as a formidable examination body to be reckoned with.
The NECO management was also at the palace of the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouq Bahago, who commended the registrar for his ability to stem staff agitation and restiveness.
