NABTEB to take over conduct of all technical, business examinations – Prof Shilgba

…WAEC, RSA, ICAN, City & Guilds London to be affected

Before the incumbent Registrar of NABTEB, Professor Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, NABTEB has had three Registrars, namely, the pioneer Registrar, Professor Olu Aina (1992-2002); Professor David Awambor ( 2002-2010); and Dr. Olatunde Aworanti ( 2010-2016). Each of those Registrar executed or are executing the mandate of NABTEB in accordance with their vision, understanding of the scope and depth of the mandate, and guidance of the Governing Board under which they served.

*Of particular note, in his first interview in 2002 after assuming office, Professor Awambor affirmed that his vision was to ensure that NABTEB certificates were “no. 1 certificates in Nigeria”. I admire his position, and I also wish to inform that NABTEB is a National Examinations Body established by law, and it would be unlawful, illegal, and an act of impunity for any university, polytechnic, college of education, or any tertiary education institution to reject or discriminate against any relevant certificate issued by NABTEB toward the selection of candidates for the purpose of admission.

*I must remind that Decree 70 of 1993 (now Act 70, CAP N12, LFN.  2004) has accorded NABTEB  legal status and widened scope of operations in the Business and Technical Examinations in Nigeria. Accordingly, and as clearly stipulated in the enabling law at section 3 (b), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board shall “take over the conduct of technical and business examinations hitherto conducted by the Royal Society of Arts ( RSA) of London, City and Guilds of London and the West African Examinations Council ( WAEC).”

* Furthermore, the enabling Act empowers NABTEB to “conduct other specified examinations on behalf of, or in collaboration with other examination bodies or agencies such as the London Chamber of Commerce or the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, etc.” I must quickly affirm therefore, that NABTEB Act empowers NABTEB to harmonize or coordinate all Business and Technical examinations presently available in the Nigerian education market, and eliminate the proliferation of uncoordinated parallel Business and Technical Examinations bodies in Nigeria. Accordingly, it would be unlawful and indeed illegal for any Business or Technical  Examinations agency or body to operate, function, and administer any professional Business or Technical Examinations in Nigeria without collaboration with or the accreditation by the National Business and Technical Examinations Board. Included among the proliferated examinations and certificates that cannot be issued, certified or verified henceforth without NABTEB’s engagement are: Trade Test, NSE, Pitman series, OGT, ICAN, etc.

* NABTEB Governing Board and Management shall soon call a meeting of the managers or chief administrators of all Business and Technical Examinations bodies and agencies presently operating in Nigeria, and later announce a set of guiding principles  and procedures for accreditation and coordination of all Business and Technical Examinations in Nigeria. Thereafter, any agency or Body that administers any Business or Technical Examinations in Nigeria without NABTEB’s valid accreditation shall be subject to applicable sanctions necessary for illegal operations within Nigeria. Besides, having regard to the universal fact that certificates are licenses for operation within the field of claimed competences, NABTEB shall take steps to ensure that all professional business operators, tradesmen, craftsmen and technicians can practice in Nigeria only after NABTEB certification or certification by a duly NABTEB- accredited Examination agency or body. We shall work with the relevant house and senate committees to amend the NABTEB Act in order to, among other things, stipulate explicitly penalties for persons operating in the Nigerian business and technical space without NABTEB certification. We intend to bring first world standards in Nigeria’s economy.

* Technical Colleges in Nigeria are not conventional colleges, secondary schools or science colleges. Those colleges are to offer technical education, which is defined by the Ministry of Education as “that aspect of education which leads to the acquisition of practical and applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge.” Accordingly, those technical  colleges  were established to produce technicians for industry toward technological growth of the nation. Those colleges are expected to produce the following skilled technicians: motor vehicle mechanics, electrical/electronics technicians, carpenters, painters, plumbers, tile layers and interior finishers, builders, textile makers, welders and metal workers, etc.

It is unlawful therefore for any technical colleges and allied institutions  in Nigeria to make the taking of relevant NABTEB examinations merely optional for their students, more so when according to section 3 (f) of NABTEB Act, the National Business and Technical Examinations Board ( NABTEB) shall “monitor, collect and keep records of continuous assessment in technical colleges and allied institutions towards the award of certificates in national business and technical examinations.” By implication, sitting for, and taking of NABTEB’s relevant examinations ( e,g. NTC/NBC) by graduates of those colleges is not only mandatory, but also confers a seal on their claim of any technical or business skills. Therefore, the Board of NABTEB advises all graduates of technical colleges in Nigeria that have not taken and passed NABTEB’s NTC/NBC to enroll within the next one year for NTC/NBC examination in order to qualify and be permitted to practice in Nigeria as technicians.

* Section 3 (i) of NABTEB Act empowers NABTEB to “carry out such other activities as are necessary or expedient for the full discharge of all or any of the functions conferred on it under or pursuant to this Act.” It is indubitable therefore that the boundary of NABTEB’s functions is both impregnable and of tremendous perimeter.

This Board intends to use its powers properly and faithfully, and to enforce the mandate of NABTEB uncompromisingly.

* Functions that NABTEB is not directly enabled by law to perform, but which are necessary in order to enhance NABTEB’s mandate, we shall negotiate, collaborate and even lobby to perform. But those that NABTEB is empowered by law to perform, we shall perform fully, enforce broadly, and watch against any unlawful encroachments by poachers; and we shall guard against acts, even seemingly innocuous ones, that have whittling or compromising effect on NABTEB’s mandate.

* NABTEB Examinations:

NABTEB conducts examinations leading to the award of:

1. National Technical Certificate ( NTC).

2. Advanced National Technical Certificate ( ANTC).

3. National Business Certificate ( NBC).

4. Advanced National Business Certificate ( ANBC).

5. Modular Trades Certificate ( Which is aimed at trades men that have not gone through formal technical or business schools).

6. National Vocational Certificate ( NVC) I, II & Final ( initial focus is on five broad occupational areas of Energy, Construction, Hospitality, Tourism, and Service Industry).

7. Psychological/Aptitude Tests for Private and Public organizations/institutions and NGOs in the following fields:
8. Engineering; ii. Business; iii. Banking; iv. Management.

Besides the above, we shall introduce new products and services. For instance, we shall consider: NABTEB  Sports Certification Program ( NSCP), working in collaboration with the National Sports Commission, and with emphasis on such areas as Sports Business (Sports Writing, Sports Photography, Sports Talk Show Hosting, Sports Column, Sports Television Talent Directing, etc.) and Sports craft or techniques (Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine Aide, Assistant Athletics Training, etc.). We shall also develop other new products and services targeted at veterans, faith groups, business and technical teachers, informal apprentices, and evaluation of fabrications or inventions by technical school students or “unschooled” persons, which, hopefully, would give a fillip toward patenting.

* Given NABTEB’s broad mandate towards certifying skills for wealth creation and economic self-reliance, the staff of  NABTEB should be a collection of some of the best and brightest in Nigeria, and indeed the world. The Governing Board and Management of NABTEB shall work strategically within budget to improve on staff training, encourage train-the-trainers programs ( using requisite collaborations), seek for, acquire, utilize, and retain the best skills available in business and technical education, measurement and evaluation in accordance with sections 7(1) and 8(2) of the NABTEB Act.

* NABTEB is a corporate brand or name. Accordingly, the Governing Board of NABTEB shall not tolerate the unauthorized use of the name NABTEB by bloggers, web developers, or any other person, group of persons or agency. Accordingly, all unauthorized blogs and websites using NABTEB name should be pulled down within a week from today in order to avoid necessary legal, administrative or other measures against such infraction.

* In line with Federal Government’s deadline of 2015 ( which has since elapsed) to NABTEB, JAMB, and NECO, NABTEB handwritten Multiple Choice Questions ( MCQ) format shall cease at a time to be soon announced, being replaced by Computer-Based Examinations format. NABTEB shall make online registration for its examinations easier and less cumbersome. The integrity of NABTEB examinations shall be an important obsession of NABTEB’s Governing  Board and Management.

****Speech at Inaugural Press Conference by Chairman of Governing Board of NABTEB, Professor Leonard Karshima Shilgba in Abuja on March 23, 2018