Reps Query NECO For Unremitted N636.7m In 2019

House of Representatives Committee on Finance, yesterday queried the National Examinations Council (NECO) for failing to remit the sum N636, 778, 000 in 2019.

The Committee which grilled the Acting Registrar of NECO, Ebikibina Ogborodi, and other top Executives on Wednesday expressed displeasure with the action.

Ogborodi while answering questions from the Committee had said they had an operating surplus of N1, 278, 462, 493 of which they were to remit 80 percent (N1, 022, 769, 994) to the government.

He however said only the sum of N385, 991, 627 was remitted.

According to him, some States were owing NECO which made it difficult for them to pay.

He said: “The balance is because some state governments who did the examinations are yet to pay”.

He said Zamfara was the highest debtor with N1, 220, 234, 000 debt.

Others were Adamawa (N281, 455, 500), Kano (N240, 043, 000), Gombe (N7, 214, 150), Bornu (N40, 027, 675) and Niger (N234, 453, 157).

The Registrar said they had written to relevant authorities to help them recover the money.

In his reaction, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. James Faleke expressed dissatisfaction, threatening that the Accountant General would block NECO’s and only make money available to them to conduct examinations.

He, therefore, directed the Registrar’s return to the Committee in two weeks with all relevant documents about their transactions.

The Chairman had earlier summoned some agencies such as the National Youth Service Corps, Industrial Training Fund, National Broadcasting Commission, and Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) who ignored their invitation of the Committee at Wednesday meeting to come Thursday.

“We expected NECO and they are here. The National Youth Service Corps, Industrial Training Fund, National Broadcasting Commission, and Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) are to appear before us unfailingly tomorrow or we use the constitutional means to get them here,” Faleke said.