By Suleiman Yakubu

Registrar and Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, has assured that the council will continue to provide quality service and ensure the integrity of the nation's school examination body.
Speaking on the occasion of the commissioning of the laudable projects of the council, which was held at the council's warehouse in Minna over the weekend, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi noted that the unrelenting commitment to excellence has driven the council forward in transforming its vision into reality.
He stated that the council, under his leadership, had in the last two years recorded tremendous achievements in physical structures and technological advancements which represent a testament to the dedication, resilience, and collective efforts of the entire staff of the council.
According to him, in response to a genuine demand for a second public examination body in Nigeria, the National Examination Council (NECO) was established.
"This call echoed the need for secondary school students to access a broader range of opportunities, foster healthy competition, and guarantee that every student would have access to a fair and credible assessment system," he said.
He pointed out that on assumption of office in July 2021, the council, under his leadership, undertook a critical assessment of the activities of the council, adding that "we initiated policies with the approval of the governing board of the council, which have brought about a positive turnaround of the council.".
Some of the achievements during his period, according to him, included the timely release of the results of all NECO examinations, the well-lit Council's headquarters, the NECO warehouse, the information and communication technology (ICT) department, and the Niger State office.
Other achievements he mentioned were the procurement of about 2,705 chairs and tables for use by staff and the procurement of generators, computers, printers, and photocopy machines for all 37 state offices and six zonal offices of the council, among others.
The NECO Chief Executive Officer disclosed that the acquisition of 707 brand new examination logistics vehicles marks a significant milestone in NECO's quest to ensure seamless and timely delivery of examination materials to all examination centres nationwide.
He stated that the vehicles, strategically deployed across the country, are aimed at eliminating the logistical challenges that have hitherto hindered the smooth conduct of examinations and ensuring that "our examinations are conducted without delay or disruption,".
In his remarks at the occasion, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Andrew David Adejoh, applauded the giant strides of the chief executive officer of NECO in transforming the council within the meagre resources accrued through the internally generated revenue (IGR).
The minister stated that the ministry will continue to encourage the council in its efforts to create an enabling and conducive working environment for its workers, noting that NECO, under Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, has performed up to its mandates.

By Suleiman Yakubu

The Federal Government has been called upon to invest heavily in sports development instead of military hardware as a way of addressing insecurity in the country.
The admonition was made yesterday by the former minister of sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung, at the ongoing Federal Public Service Games taking place in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Mr. Dalung said the billions the federal government spends on tackling insecurity with no end in sight, if channelled into sports to engage the active segments of society, will go a long way in tackling the menace of insecurity.
According to him, "I'm appealing to our governments at all levels to invest heavily in sports instead of putting billions into tackling insecurity for over two decades without any end in sight."
The former minister said a kinetic and non-kinetic approach to addressing insecurity cannot solve the challenges insecurity poses to the nation and advocated that if the government looked at the direction of sports, they would see the antidote to all the problems of social and physical insecurity in the nation.
"The problem in this country is that we invest less in sports and more in a kinetic approach to insecurity. We need to know that kinetic and non-kinetic operations alone cannot solve the problem of insecurity. Insecurity can only be addressed if the active segment of society is engaged dutifully in sporting activities. It's only sports that have the space to accommodate them. Because energetic young men will use their talents to earn medals instead of guns," Mr. Dalung said.
He said sports were used in other developing continents as an economic and social catalyst that engendered peace and development.
He said, "Sports is one of the alternatives you will use to solve the challenges of developing nations. Developing nations in Asia and Latin America use sports to solve their social problems.
"When you invest in sports, you are going to keep young people out of the street. They have the energy, they have the talents, and the insecurity that offers them alternatives will also be addressed.".
The former minister commended the organisers of the sporting festival and said the federal civil service games were the most consistent, formidable, and strong events in Nigeria, disclosing further that they have maintained their tradition for over 42 years.
Mr. Dalung said, "When the national youth festival collapsed, when the national sports festival collapsed, it was the federal civil service games that stood in as a unifying factor in this country. Because it takes all civil servants from the federation off their desks to the tracks and fields where people previously unknown to each other meet and strike friendship.".
He also commended the Niger state government for putting up the facilities and the enabling environment, saying that by doing so, the state was at the forefront of uniting the country and managing diversity, which the nation critically needs at this point in time.