Comments on: I run NECO transparently— Prof Okpala

By: OLAWOLE EBENEZER

OLAWOLE EBENEZER — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:23:31 +0000

Thank you professor but Neco under you still stinks. A situation where your State officers in collaboration with Ministry officials Charge abnormal fees outside the official fees for exams is not good enough. An example is Kogi State where in the last ( 2009) internal exams, your officer collected N300 for cybercafe registration from each candidate and ended up paying the cybercafes N70 after the whole exercise. Moreover the money was paid through his personal account and not Neco Account. Also during Neco external each candidate is made to pay N100 for Neco officers endorsement in Kogi State.The official price on your Neco E- card for Nov/Dec 2009 exams is N4850 but your officer in Kogi State is selling it for N5700 on the premise that there is an administrative charge of N150 and syllabus cost N600 and four figure table N100. Until you are able to run Neco transparently like WAEC and call your State Officers to order, the perception the public would continue to have of Neco is a corrupt organisation without due process and accountability. Thanks

By: ALH. YUSUF TANKO USMAN

ALH. YUSUF TANKO USMAN — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:22:18 +0000

I quite salute the courage of the Prof. in all his enovations and effort in improving the smooth conduct of Neco Exams. I pray that may God continue to give him guidance in the proper direction.
I equally wish to draw his attention to the insufficient payment of the Supervisors, because for this just concluded SSCE exams, the transport allowance was just N10.00 per km for maximum of 60km/day which is just max of N600.00 per day which, in so many areas is actually inadquate, you can emerging somebody working for complete one month with all the hardship of moving up and down and your supervision fees to be just N10,000.00 it is not encouraging atall. also late payment of this allowances before the Supervision is another serious factor that need to be reddressed. Lack of adequate and prompt payment to this exam officials can contribute to serious exam malpractices.
I hope that should be your another urgent area of concern. thank you.

By: Samuel Idowu OGBOGBO, Snr. Expert Consultant, SAP AG., Germany.

Samuel Idowu OGBOGBO, Snr. Expert Consultant, SAP AG., Germany. — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:21:50 +0000

I am on the brink of deserting the Diaspora to emulate the pharaoic educational contributions of the likes of Prof. Promise Okpala in the country we collectively call home. We owe it to the younger generation to focus on his bold contributions @ NECO within a short time rather than bickering like old folks in a BarberShop. Is this what am to face when am back to make a no-compromise impact in the nigerian science & technology sector? If a national mockery is to be made of this academic giant, then I must borrow a line from our Nobel Laurent – Prof. Wole Soyinka “Is this mocked grimace – this closed contortion – I?”
- Idowu OGBOGBO, Snr. Expert Tech. Consultant, SAP AG., Germany. -

By: Dr. Ahmed Sani

Dr. Ahmed Sani — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:06:39 +0000

Currently in Ogun State, we have seen law makers taking oath to support the Governor. I don’t want to believe that Prof Dibu Ojerinde enshrined this as a pre condition for recommending his successor (if he actually recommended).

This is an educational institution which should bother on learning and character and the people involved are at the peak of learning (Profs).

Having said that it is very clear that politics is taking a dangerous twist in our learning council/regulators. If going by what Prof. Promise Okpala says he is doing for the council, he is stiring it in the right direction. He should with all vigour continue in that parth. It might be challenging and rough, but that is why I presume someone of his credential was selected for the position.

Mischief makers are everywhere and Prof Okpala should note it down that sucess has plenty of enemies and he who tries to succeed must pay the price he is currently facing.

Prof Okpala I must warn you that there are more distractors, at the end of your tenure, you will not be judged by the distractors but by your achievements! Pay attention on how NECO can move forward for our children who have no alternative but our own country NIGERIA.

Moving forward, I’ll particulary keep tab on NECO and will do periodic edicotials in the paper on its performance. However based on my assessment since you took over on a scale of 1 – 10, I will rank you 7, which is a massive improvement from the past based on the promptness/regularity of exams, timing for release of results, NECO students performance in higher institutions, recent positive perception of NECO and goiing by what you have said the morale of staff.

Please keep it up and watch out for the idles of march!

By: Adewale Ogunniake

Adewale Ogunniake — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:36:43 +0000

First I want to say well done to Prof. Okpala for lifting the morale of the staff to enable them perfom their duties and thus achieve the aims of the organisation.

Also I want to advice Prof. Okpala not to be distracted from his excelent deeds as he has done impressively well in terms of cutting down on malpractice and releasing results in record time never experinced in an examination of this scale.

I am however a bit disturbed that funds are borrowed from the bank to finance the activities of the council. Whilst this has been the practice as instituted by the former NECO boss Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, Prof should depart from this part and engage financial experts to seek for other ways to generate funds, as borrowing is a lazy way to generate funds.

Please, please please Prof Okpala, don’t be distracted by enemies of progress. Focus on the job for the country and at the end of your tenure let us be proud of the great job you have been doing.

By: Tunde Olaosebikan

Tunde Olaosebikan — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:09:07 +0000

I would say Okpala is just a victim of power play, and to me he also played a part in the problem he’s now facing. I got it from a reliable source that his appointment was made possible by the former NECO boss who recommended him for the job and with a promise to be remmitting some ammount to him monthly which he had since reneged. The personal assistant to the former NECO boss was said to have been the brain behind the failure of Okpala in fulfilling his pledge to Prof. Dibu Ojerinde.
All that we are seeing now is being sponsored by Dibu “himself”.

By: greg uwa

greg uwa — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:06:59 +0000

Thank you Prof. Okpala for the thorough explanations to exonerate yourself from the said false allegetions against you. If only they are all false allegations. My only question: is this relatively new examination body living to the expectations of those who nursed its idea and other good Nigerians? Thank you.