The National Examinations Council (NECO) has introduced an electronic platform for the authentication and verification of examination results, known as NECO e-verify.
During the platform’s unveiling in Abuja on Thursday, the Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Professor Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, stated that the process would ensure the accuracy of academic credentials.
The platform is specifically designed to serve the dual purpose of instant result verification and institutional bulk verification.
The primary objective is to prevent educational institutions, employers, and other agencies from admitting or employing unqualified individuals that may impede the attainment of set objectives, enabling organizations to seamlessly verify the authenticity of NECO results presented to them for admission or recruitment globally.
Wushishi emphasized at the unveiling that the platform would bring considerable relief to millions of exam candidates, educational institutions, and other stakeholders.
“Due to the increasing demand for result verification and confirmation by institutions both at home and abroad, the Council deemed it necessary to introduce the e-Verify platform at this time.
“NECO e-Verify is an online solution for result authentication that guarantees instant verification of academic and basic information about prospective candidates for admission and employment into academic institutions and workplaces, respectively.
“Result verification is a crucial process that ensures the accuracy of academic credentials.
“By verifying the authenticity of candidates’ results, academic institutions and employers will have more confidence that they are admitting and hiring individuals who possess the required qualifications for further studies and specific job roles,” he stated.
Addressing its benefits, he stated that it increases confidence, reduces the risk of admitting/hiring unqualified individuals, which can lead to various risks such as poor academic performance, decreased productivity, low morale, and improved efficiency.
“With proper verification of candidates’ results, institutions and businesses will operate more efficiently as they will be able to recruit the best applicants capable of rapid learning and employees who can carry out their duties with minimal or no supervision.
“This also positions universities and other tertiary institutions on a solid foundation as candidates with questionable results will be deterred from applying for admission,” he added.
Additionally, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo, described the platform as a transformative initiative.
He commended NECO for their efforts in creating the platform, stating that with its introduction, NECO is aligning itself with global best practices.
“This is another way of discouraging fraud and ensuring transparency in the system.
“All Vice Chancellors of universities, Rectors of Polytechnics, Provosts of Colleges of Education, heads of other institutions are therefore mandated to utilize the NECO e-verify software for authenticating the results of all candidates who sat for the NECO examinations,” he said.
On her part, the chairperson of the occasion, Dr. Akon Etim Eyakenyi, who is the deputy governor of Akwa Ibom state, lauded the software as a product of sound thinking and implementation, highlighting that it is a step in the right direction.
She expressed that ICT has revolutionized human interaction, redefined learning, and transformed government operations, underscoring the need for the software.
“We are in a world where robots are effectively replacing humans. This is the era of e-learning, e-commerce, and e-government, and Nigeria needs to catch up, and that is what NECO is striving to accomplish today,” she stated.
She urged NECO to work towards fully automating its operations while encouraging schools to embrace technology, adding that the platform will greatly benefit students and Nigerians at large.