NECO ex-acting registrar dismisses fraud allegations

By Doosuur Iwambe

Former Acting Registrar, National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Abubakar Gana, has debunked an alleged N368, 875 million fraud leveled against him in some parts of the media.

Gana who was reacting to reports that he siphoned about N368, 875 million generated during the June/July 2018 registration of SSCE, while he was NECO Acting Registrar described the rumour as false, misleading and a deliberate attempt to malign his name.

In a statement he personally signed and made available to the Daily Times, the ex acting Registrar insisted that he fought corruption to a standstill during his tenure as NECO acting Registrar.

Gana stated that the only sin he committed was to carry out a presidential directive by dismissing erring workers, who, according to him, have made him a target of their campaign of calumny.

The statement reads: “Ordinarily, I would not have bothered to dignify the half-truths and fabrications contained in the publication with a response, but for the purpose of setting the records straight.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I was appointed as Acting Registrar of NECO on May 10, 2018 while the purported incident occurred on December 18, 2017, at least, five months before my appointment.

“It must, however, be put on record that the infractions were uncovered by the Council in 2017 under the watchful eyes of Former Registrar, Prof Charles Uwakwe, but nothing was done to bring the perpetrators to book.

“When I took over the affairs of the Council in 2018, the misappropriation was officially reported to me, a development that led to the setting up of both Management and Board Committees for investigation.

“Upon our investigations, two officials of the Council were indicted and thereby recommended for dismissal.

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Not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation, the officials petitioned the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges in the Eight Assembly, which also found them culpable of misappropriation but however pleaded for leniency, a request that was rejected by the Board.

“How could I have stolen money before my appointment as Registrar?

My administration fought corruption to a standstill by ensuring that monies generated by the council went straight to the Treasury Single Account of the Federal Government.”