Tinubu Government Bans Students Below 18 From Writing WAEC, NECO

 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has Prohibited Individuals under the age of 18 from Taking part in the National Examination Council and West African Examination Council Exam.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman disclosed this when he featured on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program on Sunday night.

Mamman explained that the federal government has directed WAEC, which conducts the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and NECO, which oversees the Senior School Certificate Examination to enforce the 18-year age requirement for candidates wishing to take these exams.

He added that the age limit for candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, remains set at 18 years.

He said, “It is 18 (years). What we did at the meeting that we had with JAMB (in July) was to allow this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents that this year, JAMB will admit students who are below that age but from next year, JAMB is going to insist that anybody applying to go to university in Nigeria meets the required age which is 18.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time.

“Even basically if you compute the number of years pupils, and learners are supposed to be in school, the number you will end up with is 17 and a half – from early child care to primary school to junior secondary school and then senior secondary school. You will end up with 17 and a half by the time they are ready for admission.

“So, we are not coming up with new policy contrary to what some people are saying; we are just simply reminding people of what is existing. In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations. In other words, if somebody has not spent the requisite number of years in that particular level of study, WAEC and NECO will not allow them to write the examination.”

Ebikibina Ogborodi Appointed As NECO Acting Registrar

The Governing Board of the National Examinations Council (NECO) has approved the appointment of Ebikibina Ogborodi as the acting Registrar/Chief Executive of the council.

Ogborodi's appointment comes as a result of the sudden death of the immediate past registrar, Professor Godswill Obioma who died after a brief illness on June 1.

A statement released by Azeez Sani, Head of Information and Public Relations Division of the council, stated that until his recent appointment, Mr Ogborodi was the Director of Special Duties in the council.

Sani explained that the governing board approved the appointment of the acting registrar at an emergency meeting held on Wednesday.

Ogborodi, who hails from Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, obtained his first degree from the University of Jos in 1986 and a second degree from the same university in 1999.

He joined the service of NECO in 1999 and had served in different capacities, including acting Director of Examination Development Department, acting Director of the Office of the Registrar, Director of General Services, and Director of Human Resource Management, among others.