National Examinations Council : NECO

The National Examinations Council (NECO) is a federal Nigerian examination body established in April 1999 by the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led military administration. NECO's official account explains that its creation followed a long national debate about the capacity and workload of existing examination arrangements. That debate intensified after the 1977 leakage of West African School Certificate Examination questions. The Sogbetun Commission of Inquiry examined the problem and recommended additional examination bodies so that the West African Examinations Council could manage a more workable workload. Further government reviews continued the discussion before the Federal Government created NECO as an examination body wholly owned by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Its mandate now covers the Senior School Certificate Examination for internal and external candidates, together with the Basic Education Certificate Examination and the National Common Entrance Examination. Through these examinations, NECO supports certification at secondary and basic-education levels and admission into Federal Government Unity Colleges. The Council has also developed result verification and examination services for candidates and institutions, including arrangements that extend access beyond Nigeria. NECO's history is therefore tied to the national effort to widen credible public assessment while maintaining a federal examination alternative. Dates, registration windows, fees, timetables, results and eligibility should always be confirmed from current NECO notices.