Nineteen workers of the National Examinations Council, NECO, have been dismissed from the examination body’s service over certificate forgery.
NECO said that its governing board approved the recommendations of a Staff Certificate Verification Committee, after the workers had confessed to the crime.
The Staff Certificate Verification Committee was mandated to screen some workers “with questionable credentials,” who appeared before it, during which the affected staff attested that their certificates were forged.
This makes the total number of staff dismissed by NECO in the last three months 89, as about 70 others were dismissed in November, 2019 for similar offence.
NECO’s Head of Information and Public Relations Division, Mr Azeez Sani, in a release on Tuesday, February 25, that the dismissal of the workers was approved at the 52nd Regular meeting of the council.
He said, “The Governing Board of the National Examinations Council has approved the dismissal of 19 staff from her service for certificate forgery. A Staff Certificate Verification Committee constituted by the Management carried out its assignment diligently by inviting some staff with questionable credentials to appear before it, during which the affected staff attested that their certificates were forged.
“The committee also contacted the schools and institutions which the affected staff claimed to have attended and the Schools and Institutions denied having certificated them.
“At its 52nd Regular meeting, the Governing Board of the Council vetted the report of the Certificate Verification Committee and approved the dismissal of the affected staff.
“The Governing Board had at its 17th Extra-Ordinary meeting in November, 2019, also approved the dismissal of 70 staff for certificate forgery. The certificate verification exercise, which is ongoing, is aimed at sanitising the system.”
