NECO, NOUN Collaborate to Combat Certificate Fraud, Expand Computer-Based Testing

Efforts to bolster the credibility of public examinations in Nigeria have received a major boost as the National Examinations Council (NECO) announced a partnership with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) aimed at electronic result verification and the expansion of computer-based testing (CBT) across the country.

The NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, disclosed this on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, noting that the collaboration would enhance authentication of candidates’ results and curb the growing menace of certificate forgery.

Prof. Wushishi explained that the partnership would allow NECO’s e-Verify platform to be fully integrated into NOUN’s admission process, ensuring only genuine results are accepted. He added that, prior to the electronic verification system, confirming results was a manual process that often took months, particularly for students seeking admission abroad.

He further stated that NECO has already verified nearly five million results electronically and is moving toward a complete shift from paper-based examinations to CBT in line with federal education policy.

Responding, Prof. Uduma described result verification as a non-negotiable requirement for maintaining academic credibility. He revealed that NOUN, which admits approximately 40,000 students annually, would begin integrating the NECO e-Verify platform from the 2026/1 admission cycle. The vice-chancellor also assured that the university would support NECO’s CBT expansion, leveraging its nationwide network of study centres and ICT facilities.

Both institutions expressed confidence that the collaboration would strengthen examination integrity and reinforce Nigeria’s education system.