The National Examinations Council has promised to set up examination centres for the police in Lagos State to help their families access various exams.
The NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, made this promise during a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olohundare Jimoh, at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja on Friday.
Wushishi announced that NECO would consider establishing six examination centres specifically for police families. He explained that NECO conducts five different examinations: the National Gifted Examination for placement into Federal Government Academy, Suleja; the National Common Entrance Examination; the Basic Education Certificate Examination; the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (internal); and the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (external) for private candidates.
“We conduct these types of examinations so that any candidate can apply. We have centres specially designated that candidates can choose, as close to their residence as possible. All police families can fit into these categories of examinations,” he said.
Wushishi assured the Commissioner of Police that NECO would send its team to inspect the proposed locations for the centres.
“We will send our men to look at some of the facilities in the areas the Lagos State Command wants us to establish these centres. By the grace of God, we are going to do that. It is very important because the Nigeria Police is serving the nation, and their children must have easy access to examinations to retake failed subjects and further their education,” he added.
He stressed that making education accessible to police families was crucial for the nation.
“The request is very important to the police, their children, and the nation as a whole. It is the nation’s duty to make education easily accessible, and this is one way we can support police children who have completed Senior Secondary School and are waiting to remedy their results,” Wushishi stated.
He promised that once the police submitted their request, NECO would promptly assess the proposed locations.
The NECO Registrar also highlighted some of the challenges faced by the council, including funding for physical infrastructure such as office spaces.
Wushishi appreciated the police for their role in providing security during NECO examinations.
“We have an Examination Intelligence Committee that works closely with the police to investigate examination malpractices. This collaboration has helped us successfully apprehend those involved in exam fraud,” he said.
He noted that Lagos is one of the largest states in terms of the number of candidates for NECO examinations.
“Lagos provides the second-largest number of candidates for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) internal, after Kano State. Last year, Lagos registered over 98,000 candidates, while Kano had over 104,000 candidates,” Wushishi revealed.
The visit ended with both parties agreeing to work together to enhance education access for police families and maintain the integrity of NECO examinations.
