From John Adams, Minna
Worried by the public outcry over the non-release of the results of 30,000 students from Niger State who sat for the 2019/2020 Senior Secondary School Examinations (SSCE) by the National Examinations Council (NECO), the Niger State House of Assembly has directed its committee on education and that of legislative compliance to investigate the non-release of the results and report back within one week.
This follows a motion on a matter of urgent public importance on the floor of the House on Thursday by the member representing Bosso Constituency, Mallam Malik Madaki Bosso, who told the House that the National Examinations Council has withheld the result of over 30,000 students from the state due to non-payment of examinations fees by the government.
According to the lawmaker, ‘those students who sat for the National Examinations Council in 2019/2020, respectively, are yet to access their results till this moment,’ adding that ‘as a result of the withholding of their results by NECO, the affected students risk forfeiting their admission into higher institutions of learning for two years.’
Bosso told the House that ‘some non-indigene students who paid NECO examinations fee to the state government through the Ministry of Education are equally denied access to results because the examinations body said such fees were not remitted to it by the state government.’
He asked the House to mandate the committee on education and that of legislative compliance to investigate the non-release of the results of the affected students without delay.
In his contribution, while supporting the motion, a member representing Mokwa constituency, Mallam Shaba Gbara, said it is painful that the students could not access their results due to the non-payment of their examinations fee and may stand the risk of missing out of admission into tertiary institutions.
He maintained that the House will not fold its hands and allow a few individuals to mess up the entire state; he urged the House to investigate the matter and ensure that justice is done.
‘This matter is of great concern to parents and all of us. Over 30,000 students have been denied access to their NECO results because of the accumulated debts by the government for 2019/2020,’ he said.
After listened to contributions from members, the Speaker, Bawa Wuse, mandated the House committee on education and that of legislative to investigate the matter and submit its report within one week.
The affected students had staged a peaceful protest at NECO headquarters last week to register their frustration.
The planned protest was however leaked to the organisation which quickly alerted the state police command and a detachment of armed mobile policemen in about six Hilux vans was deplored to prevent any protest.