Benjamin Babine, Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to prosecute some staff of the National Examination Council (NECO) for possessing fake certificates.
The ICPC, which disclosed this in a statement by its spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogogua, said the move followed a request by Registrar of NECO, Prof. Godswill Obioma during a recent visit to the Commission.
At the meeting with the ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, Prof. Obioma reportedly disclosed that the governing council of NECO had through a staff verification exercise found that some staff were working in the agency with fake certificates.
He urged ICPC to act on the report saying: “We want your office to do justice to the report especially those culpable for prosecution.” Professor Obioma also sought the assistance of the Commission in combating the menace of examination malpractices.
He observed that a prior collaboration with ICPC in tackling examination malpractice had yielded positive results, adding that the continuous partnerships with the Commission against corruption would give credibility to NECO examinations and processes. The NECO boss who also spoke on the efforts to tackle the menace of examination malpractice said the agency would soon introduce Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in examination halls across the country.
Chairman of ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, in response, said the issue of fake certificates was becoming widespread with so many ‘special centres’ for passing examinations.
He said the Commission was willing to assist NECO in tackling corruption in the education sector, adding that the prevalence of fake certificates in the work-place was affecting quality service delivery.
He said, “We are quite delighted that you are focused on dealing with corruption in the education sector. The issue of fake certificate is pandemic and deeply rooted and this partially explains the struggle by government agencies to do well.”