By EPHRAIM ABBA, Abuja
As the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB),commences its NTC/NBC Examinations in all the 36 states of the Federation and Abuja on May 7, 2018, the Chairman, Governing Board of Professor Leonard Karshima Shilgba, has urged the Management and Staff of the agency to do everything possible to ensure a successful, fraud-free conduct of the exercise.
Professor Shilgba who made the appeal on Sunday, also urged all monitors of the Examinations nationwide to name and shame any Examination centres (including public and private schools) where malpractices are allowed to happen.
A statement issued in Abuja by NABTEB’s Media & Publicity Consultant, Media & Publicity Consultant, Mr. Tom Chiahemen, said the Chairman further charged the monitors to name and shame any individuals, including NABTEB staff (State officers, Zonal Coordinators and Directors) that engage in or instigate fraudulent practices such as extortion of money from Examination Centre Owners, undue delay in retrieval of answer booklets, and so on.
Besides naming and shaming anyone who engages in photocopy of question papers before the subject Examination, Professor Shilgba advised any candidate who might have been made to pay more than N11,500 to report the person or organization that did that.
He enjoined the Registrar and members of the Governing Board as well as the Management and Staff of NABTEB, to perform their task of monitoring, stressing that “the conduct of Examinations is the primary task of NABTEB, and therefore its monitoring is an undeniable assignment for you, the Governing Board members.”
The Chairman, who reminded that about the speech of the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu during the inauguration of Governing Boards in Abuja on March 22, 2018, said, “as we take strategic steps toward positioning NABTEB for the broad tasks for which the agency was established in 1992, I urge you all to address your mind to our noble task, having your eyes focused on the testimony of history.”
Professor Shilgba, who promised to forward the list of all NABTEB Examinations Centres across Nigeria State-by-State to all Board members, advised them to at least monitor both in their state of residence, and state of origin.
He urged the Board members to get in touch with both the respective State Officers and Zonal Coordinators on this important assignment and to use their influence and connections (including trusted personnel) to get as much information on the conduct of the Examinations as possible, particularly the timely and adequate supply of Examination materials to the centres, adequate supervision and coordination of the Examinations, fraud-free conduct of the Examinations and, prompt retrieval of answer booklets after a subject examination, and safe return to the secured centres.
“Be reminded that any direct or indirect sabotage of your monitoring efforts by any staff or Management staff member of NABTEB is a significant and punishable offence, which you should report for prompt and appropriate deterrent sanctions by the Board,” he said.
He appealed to all Nigerians to use Email: nabtebstaffcomplaints@gmail.com (or nabtebstaffcomplain@gmail.com) and TEL:08097061460 to give any other related information that could assist NABTEB in the smooth and successful conduct of the 2018 NTC/NBC Examinations and to improve onfuture conduct of other NABTEB examinations, assuring that under the current Governing Board and Management, “NABTEB shall be one of the most credible and transparent Examination bodies in the world.”