Chidimma Uchegbu
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has partnered with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to enhance result verification and accelerate computer-based testing nationwide.
NECO Registrar, professor Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi outlines the plan during a courtesy visit to NOUN on Tuesday, saying the collaboration will safeguard certificate credibility and ensure only candidates with authentic results gain admission.
Wushishi congratulates NOUN Vice-Chancellor Uduma Oji Uduma on his appointment, describing him as a seasoned administrator with a strong record of academic integrity. He says the visit pursues three objectives: formal felicitation, integration of NECO’s e-Verify platform for instant result authentication, and cooperation on expanding computer-based examinations (CBT).
The registrar explains that NECO previously relied on manual verification, a process that often took months for institutions in more than 50 countries. That changes with the e-Verify system introduced two years ago, which has electronically authenticated nearly five million results.
“With API integration, institutions can confirm authenticity without delay,” Wushishi says, urging NOUN to plug into the platform. He adds that NECO is aligning with Federal Ministry of Education policy to migrate fully from paper-based tests to CBT, noting NOUN’s nationwide digital assessment infrastructure.
Responding, Uduma welcomes the initiative and underscores the centrality of verification to academic standards. “Any certificate that is not verified is a paper tiger,” he says, adding that NOUN admits about 40,000 students annually and will enforce strict credential checks.
Uduma confirms that NOUN will integrate NECO e-Verify from the 2026/1 admission cycle and support CBT expansion through its network of about 128 study centres. A joint academic–ICT committee is constituted to fast-track implementation.
Both institutions say the partnership will strengthen examination credibility and lift quality across Nigeria’s education system.
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