The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has commended the National Examinations Council (NECO) for its aggressive deployment of technology, particularly the transition to Computer-Based Examinations (CBE), saying the reforms have significantly enhanced the credibility and efficiency of the examination body.
Alausa gave the commendation during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPPS) and other education stakeholders, where he praised the leadership of NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, for what he described as a remarkable transformation of the council.
“I can tell you today, with all unequivocation, NECO is better placed. NECO conducts better exams. NECO uses better technology,” the minister said.
He specifically praised the council’s speed in adopting computer-based testing, describing the transformation as “amazing.”
“When we also go to this CBT, they move quickly, they deploy better technology. The transformation of NECO, amazing,” Alausa said.
The minister attributed the Federal Government’s decision to retain Wushishi’s leadership of the council to his performance and results, stressing that the decision was not based on patronage.
“We’ve worked with him, we’ve got him to where we want, he’s doing so well, why do we have to change him?” he asked.
“This thing is not about patronage to us. It’s not about patronage, it’s about value,” he added.
The minister’s endorsement comes amid NECO’s ongoing digital transformation, which includes online registration, biometric verification, computer-based testing for selected examinations, digital certificates and automated grading.
The Federal Government is also gradually migrating NECO examinations from the traditional Paper-Pencil Test (PPT) to Computer-Based Examination (CBE), as part of efforts to improve efficiency, strengthen examination security and combat malpractice.
Alausa said the increasing deployment of technology was critical to tackling examination malpractice, which he described as one of the most serious threats to the integrity of Nigeria’s education system.
“It’s sad. Before we came, the acceptance of examination malpractice, cheating and examination leakages in this country was mind-boggling, and the country accepted it. It was a nightmare,” he said.
According to the minister, examination questions were allegedly obtained for as little as N3,000 before the current NECO administration commenced reforms aimed at strengthening the security and integrity of its examinations.
He said the widespread leakage of examination questions had undermined the credibility of public examinations and placed students who prepared diligently at a disadvantage.
Alausa warned that continued tolerance of examination malpractice could create a situation where students who genuinely prepared for examinations would eventually be discouraged from maintaining high standards.
“The danger was that the good students would also become bad,” he said.
The minister urged parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students to support government efforts to restore integrity to public examinations.
Meanwhile, NECO has continued to expand its international reach, with the council conducting examinations in at least eight countries and providing Nigerian curriculum-based examinations to schools and candidates in the diaspora.
The examination body, which recently marked its 25th anniversary, said its examinations have impacted almost 35 million Nigerians since its establishment.
Wushishi has also repeatedly pledged to deepen the council’s investment in technology, human capital and institutional processes while improving fairness, credibility and integrity in examination administration.
The Federal Government is further looking to measures such as the serial numbering of examination question papers to reduce the risk of question-paper leakages ahead of examinations.
The government maintains that the combination of technology-driven examination processes and stronger institutional safeguards will be critical to rebuilding public confidence in Nigeria’s examination system.
