The Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, has revealed plans to enhance collaboration with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in the areas of computer-based examinations and electronic verification of candidates’ results.
Wushishi made this known during a courtesy visit to the university, stating that the proposed partnership aims to safeguard the credibility of NECO certificates and ensure that only candidates with authentic results gain admission into NOUN.
He congratulated the Vice-Chancellor, Uduma Oji Uduma, on his appointment, describing him as a seasoned scholar and administrator known for integrity. According to him, the visit was driven by three key objectives: to formally congratulate the new Vice-Chancellor, to explore collaboration on result authentication through NECO’s e-Verify platform, and to identify possible areas of cooperation in computer-based testing (CBT).
The NECO Registrar recalled that before the launch of the e-Verify platform, result verification was conducted manually — a process that could take several months, particularly for institutions within Nigeria and in over 50 other countries that rely on NECO results.
He explained that since the introduction of the e-Verify system two years ago, the process has become significantly more efficient, with nearly five million results verified electronically.
“With API integration, institutions can confirm the authenticity of candidates’ NECO results seamlessly and without delay,” Wushishi said, encouraging NOUN to fully integrate with the platform to simplify its admission procedures.
He also pointed out that NOUN’s wide-reaching computer-based testing infrastructure across Nigeria offers strong potential for strategic collaboration, especially as NECO aligns with the Federal Ministry of Education’s policy to transition fully from paper-based examinations to CBT.
In his response, the Vice-Chancellor welcomed the initiative and affirmed the university’s readiness to partner with NECO to strengthen examination integrity and technological innovation.
Uduma stressed that thorough result verification is critical to maintaining academic standards, noting that any unverified certificate lacks credibility. He disclosed that NOUN admits approximately 40,000 students annually and remains committed to ensuring that all admitted candidates present genuine credentials.
He further announced that the university would begin integrating with the NECO e-Verify platform starting from the 2026/1 admission cycle.
The Vice-Chancellor also pledged NOUN’s support for NECO’s expansion of computer-based examinations, highlighting the university’s network of about 128 study centres nationwide as a solid base for collaboration.
To ensure smooth implementation, Uduma revealed that a joint committee comprising key academic and ICT officials from both institutions would be established to work out the modalities of the partnership.
Both NECO and NOUN expressed confidence that the collaboration would boost examination credibility, improve result authentication processes, and strengthen the overall quality of Nigeria’s education system.
