The National Examinations Council (NECO) has been enmeshed in a crisis over the purported appointment of Prof Monday Tommy Joshua as the new NECO Registrar/Chief Executive Officer.
The workers union of NECO in a protest letter to the Minister Of Education Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has accussed the Federal Government of not following due process in the appointment of a Registrar for the examination body.
The union in its protest, cited an infraction where it alleged that the minister’s recommendation was ignored by the Secretary Government of the Federation Pius Anyim.
In the protest letter titled: “Re: Violation Of Due Process In The Appointment Of The Incoming Registrar Of The National Examination Council (NECO), signed by the Chairman Of the Union Comrade Agwu Arisa, the union called for immediate withdrawal of the appointment.
The union said the appointment of Professor Monday Joshua as a registrar jettisoned all known principles of due process as enshrined in the National Examinations Council(NECO) (Establishment) Act,2002, the constitution of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and the Federal Character Commission (Establishment) Act Cap F7,Laws of the Federation, 2010, and the subsidiary guidelines for recruitment into the Federal Public Service.
The Act setting up NECO provides that the appointment of NECO Registrar shall be by the President but on the recommendation of the Minister.
The union stated that the appointment letter of Prof Joshua dated 2 April,2015 backdated to 30 March 2015 and signed by Anyim was against an earlier directive, issued by the Minister Education, in January 2015 that the outgoing Registrar Prof Promise Okpala should hand over to the most senior officer pending the appointment of a substantive Registrar in line with Federal Character Act.
The union wondered how a ‘Kangaroo’ venue in Abuja was organized where the appointment was announced and handing over was hurriedly done with only Prof Okpala and Monday Joshua, the Board Chairman, and a few Board members were present.
It is worthy of note that the media were not invited to cover the event which should have taken place in Minna.
“It goes without saying that the SGF, Anyim Pius Anyim has re-written the NECO Act by unilaterally determining and appointing who should be Registrar/Chief Executive Officer. This power and authority he exercises regardless of the Minister’s position on the issue.
“The shoddy and hurried manner the entire ceremony was crafted and executed without following due process at this time that a new administration is about to take over is quite worrisome and highly suspicious.
“If a stop is not put to what has now become a regular and arrogant display of lawlessness, the immediate and far-reaching consequence on the nation’s education can’t be anything but grave.
“The essence of this protest is therefore to enjoin you to immediately intervene and ensure a reversal of this gross violation of the laws of land/ due process.” the union submitted.
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