Senate gives NECO 24hrs to prove N7.2bn exam materials’ payment

Senate Committee on Public Affairs, has given the National Examinations Council, NECO 24 hours ultimatum to show the payment of N7.2 billion examination materials between January and June 2017.

The committee, chaired by Senator Mathew Urhoghide (PDP Edo South) gave the ultimatum on Wednesday following the the report of Auditor General of the Federation, AuGF, which alleged that examination materials in the whooping sum were paid for between January and June 2017 without evidence of receipt of the items into the store.

But the Registrar of NECO, Professor Godswill Obioma, while responding to the query before the lawmakers, claimed that the examination materials are sensitive items that are kept closely guarded in order to avoid leakages.

However, when the chairman of the Committee demanded for the Store Receipt Vouchers, SRV as evidence of the expenses of ‘sensitive materials’ to the examination for the year 2017, non of the officials of NECO who appeared in company of the Registrar could present the receipt to the committee to see.

Rather, they were only claiming that they have the receipt without physical presentation to the committee as evidence.

Chairman of the panel, however, demanded that the NECO Registrar provide the receipts within 24 hours or refund the N7.2 billion to the federal government’s purse.

The query reads: “Examination materials in the sum of N7.2 billion were paid for between January and June 2017 without evidence of receipt of the items into store .

“There was no evidence to confirm the receipt of the materials or their usage thereby contravening Financial Regulation 2402 which requires store keeper to certify that stores purchased have been received and taken on store ledger charge in the store ledger.

“inquiry to verify the true position of items revealed that a committee was in charge of the receipt and distribution of examination materials.

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“However, despite the repeated request for documentary evidence in relation to the supply, the committee failed to produce any document for verification.”