The Registrar National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, Monday, lamented that the 36 state governors in Nigeria are owing NECO billions of naira in arrears.
Dantani, who stated this in Jalingo while on an inspection tour to monitor the conduct of the ongoing NECO examination, explained that what the examination body generates is what is used in paying salaries of staff and other liabilities.
“Federal government is not funding us; we pay the salaries and other liabilities from what we get.
“If our billions out there are not paid, running the entire system might not be easy. We are the one sustaining ourselves through the registration of candidates. This is not good for the sustainability of the examinations body if states refuse to pay what they are owing us,” he said.
He stressed that NECO has over 4000 staff, who must be paid at the end of every month and appealed to state governors to as a matter of urgency offset the billions they are owing NECO.
He informed that the sit-at-home directive by the indigenous people of Biafra and IPOB does not have any effect on the ongoing NECO examination in the South-east.
“They realised that the sit-at-home directive would not do any good to their children. They also understand that their agitation must not affect the future of their children,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that he would do his best to bring new innovations that will make NECO to be the best examination body in the country.
