The Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, has announced plans to strengthen collaboration with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in the areas of computer-based examinations and electronic verification of candidates’ results.
Wushishi disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the university, explaining that the proposed partnership is designed to protect the integrity of NECO certificates and ensure that only candidates with genuine results secure admission into NOUN.
He congratulated the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, on his appointment, describing him as an accomplished academic and administrator with a reputation for integrity.
According to the NECO Registrar, the visit had three main objectives: to formally felicitate with the new Vice-Chancellor, to explore collaboration on result authentication through NECO’s e-Verify platform, and to identify areas of cooperation in computer-based testing (CBT).
Wushishi recalled that prior to the introduction of the e-Verify platform, result verification was handled manually — a process that often took months to complete, especially for institutions within and outside Nigeria, including over 50 countries that rely on NECO results.
He said the deployment of the NECO e-Verify system two years ago has significantly improved efficiency, with nearly five million results authenticated electronically.
“With the API integration, institutions can seamlessly confirm the authenticity of candidates’ NECO results without delay,” Wushishi stated, urging NOUN to integrate fully with the platform to streamline its admission processes.
He further noted that NOUN’s extensive computer-based testing infrastructure across the country presents an opportunity for strategic collaboration, particularly as NECO aligns with the policy direction of the Federal Ministry of Education to fully transition from paper-based examinations to CBT.
In his response, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Uduma, welcomed the initiative and assured NECO of the university’s readiness to partner in strengthening examination credibility and technological advancement.
He emphasised that proper result verification is essential to upholding academic standards.
“Any certificate that is not verified is a paper tiger,” he said, noting that NOUN admits about 40,000 students annually and remains committed to ensuring that all admitted candidates present authentic credentials.
Uduma disclosed that the university would commence integration with the NECO e-Verify platform beginning with the 2026/1 admission cycle.
He also pledged NOUN’s support for NECO’s expansion of computer-based examinations, citing the university’s network of approximately 128 study centres nationwide as a strong foundation for collaboration.
To facilitate smooth implementation, the Vice-Chancellor announced the constitution of a joint committee made up of key academic and ICT officials from both institutions to work out modalities for the partnership.
Both NECO and NOUN expressed optimism that the collaboration would enhance the credibility of examinations, strengthen result authentication processes, and contribute to improving the overall quality of Nigeria’s education system.