In another bold and hard, but commendable decision to rid the Council of Certificate racketeers, the Nation’s Apex Ordinary Level Examination Body, National Examination Council (NECO), has penciled down 15 more Staff for dismissal for Certificate Forgery.
Feelers reaching Education Monitor from the examination body have it that the 15 fake-certificated staff were penciled down for dismissal following recommendation of the Certificate Verification Committee of the Council.
Our findings revealed that the 15 Persons, whose credentials were alleged to be fake, were invited by the Certificate Verification Committee for scrutiny, were, after thorough scrutiny, found guilty of the allegations.
Education Monitor recalled that in November, 2019, and March, 2020, the Council dismissed 70 and 19 Staff respectively, for the same offences. This will bring to 104, the total number of Staff, so far, to be dismissed in less than one year.
It would be recalled that since Dr. Sadique Muhammad, of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was appointed to head the Board of the Examination body, about two years ago, he had been working tooth and nail to sanitize and effect radical changes at the Council, which include – ridding the council of staff with questionable and dubious characters and forged credentials.
Dr Sadique’s principled stand and resolution brought him on collusion path with those that felt threatened with his style, to the extent that he was threatened by forces who, in desperate attempts to force the Governing Board of the Council to rescind its decision in November, 2019, to dismiss 70 staff, who were guilty of using fake certificates with which they secured employments and undeserving promotions in the council.
The threats on Dr Sadique were made by highly placed government officials related to some of the dismissed staff.
The Board Chairman was asked to either temper justice with mercy or be ready to bear the consequences of his actions.