The National Examinations Council (NECO) today succumbed to pressure from the lower chamber of the National Assembly and announced an indefinite postponement of the 2024 Staff Promotion Examination.
The decision of the examination body to centralized the staff promotion examination earlier Scheduled to hold on February 14 and 15, 2024 in Minna, Niger State capital has generated a lot of reactions due to the security challenges and the high cost of living in the country.
This informed the decision of the lower chamber of the National Assembly to wage into the matter and therefore directed the Management of NECO to put on hold the promotion examination, reports Saturday Sun.
NECO in a three paragraph statement in Minna on Saturday by the acting Director, Directorate of Information and Digital Communication Mallam Azeez Sani said the postponement was in compliance with the directive of the Committee on Basic Examination Bodies of the House of Representatives as contained in a letter referenced NASS/HR/10/CT.20/64 dated 9th February, 2024 and signed by the Chairman of the Committee Hon. Oboku Abonsizibe Oforji.
Mallam Sani added in the statement that, “With this development, all NECO Staff who are due for promotion this year, should note that the exercise has been put on hold indefinitely”.
It could be recalled that the House of Representatives on Wednesday mandated the Committees on Education Examination Board and Basic Education to interact with the National Examination Council (NECO) on her planned 2024 Promotion Examination for about 1,500 staff at a place viz-a-viz the security and economic situation of the country.
This followed the adoption of a motion on Matter of Urgent Public Importance moved by Hon. Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, APC-OYO) titled, “The urgent need to review the planned promotion examination by NECO for about 1500 Staff to converge at Minna, Niger State on 14th & 15th February 2024 in view of the security situation and Economic hardship in the country”.
While moving the motion, the lawmaker said; “The House: Notes that the National Examination Council (NECO) by her Circular dated 9th January 2024 is billed to hold her 2024 STAFF PROMOTION EXAMINATION on 14th & 15th February 2024 at Federal University of Technology, (FUT), Minna, Niger State.
According to him, “NECO by her Circular dated 17th January 2024 published the names of about one thousand, five hundred (1,500) staff to partake in the said 2024 Promotion Examination on 14th & 15th February 2024 at Federal University of Technology, (FUT), Minna, Niger State.
“Aware that in the past, the examination body has conducted similar promotion examinations for her staff at various zonal/regional offices without necessarily making large number of staff from different States of the Federation travel and converge at one place for the promotion exercise.
He added further that “Concerned that due to security situation in the country and the economic hardship biting hard on the citizens including the Staff of the National Examination Council (NECO), it is perilous to cause about 1,500 staff to travel from different parts of the country to one place in the name of Promotion Examination”.
He believed that the examination body which conducts examinations for candidates all over the country has the capacity to conduct promotion examinations for her staff in different States of the Federation.
When the motion was put into voice vote by the Speaker Hon Tajudeen Abbas who presided over the Plenary session, it was unanimously supported by other members
The motion was then referred to the House Committees on Education Examination Board and Basic Education for further legislative action.
