Education

NECO: Gana’s lawyers Nrite SaharaReporters Over ‘Defamation’

Published

6 years ago

October 5, 2020

Lawyers representing former Acting Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Mr Abubakar Gana, have lodged a formal request to SaharaReporters for a public apology and retraction of three defamatory publications against him.

Victor Giwa & Associates, conveyed the demand in a letter addressed to the editor-in-chief of the online platform, dated October 5, 2020, in which the law firm described the reports as “libellous, defamatory and capable of lowering Ganas reputation in the eyes of the public.”

It would be recalled that SaharaReporters had, in a series of reports, levelled varying allegations against Gana, accusing him of fraud which Gana debunked as false and malicious.

In its latest publication of October 2, 2020, the online platform relied on an unnamed source to run the headline “Education Ministry Permanent Secretary, Echono, Former NECO Acting Registrar, Gana, Others Fingered In N6bn Contract Fraud.”

“The above statements and publications against our client are libelous, defamatory and they are capable of lowering his reputation in the eyes of the public and in the minds of right thinking persons in the society.

“It is on this note that we are urgently making the following demands: That you cause to be made a public apology to our client in two national dailies within 7 days of publication of this notice.

“That you pull down and retract all stories and reports relating to our client on the above subject within 7 days of the publication of this notice on your webpage. That you publish same apology on your webpage within 7 days of the publication of this notice,” the letter read in part.

“A source told SaharaReporters that the indefinite suspension of the former Registrar, Prof Charles Uwakwe on May 10, 2018 provided Echono the opportunity to closely interfere in the procurement process of the examination council using Alih as his proxy,” it said.

But Victor Giwa & Associates, in their letter, debunked the allegations as lame and manifestly ignorant as the procurement process of NECO or other parastatals does not involve the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education.

The lawyers also noted that all the contracts under Gana’s time were dully awarded and satisfactorily executed, noting that the allegations were “false, malicious, spurious and intended to injure our client’s reputation which he has built for over three decades.”

“It is important to note that our Client is a seasoned public servant and a professional examiner, who has given over thirty-four (34) years to productive public service at various levels of government, and has through dint of hard work, commitment and good service, risen to the level of a director before he was appointed acting Registrar of National Examination Council (NECO).

“Our client has a track record of excellent service and commitment to duty in his public life and he has received various awards and accolades to his credits. It is therefore our position that the said publications against our client are out rightly false, malicious, spurious and intended to injure our client’s reputation which he has built for over three decades, the law firm said.

Gana was at the vanguard of major reforms while acting as Registrar of NECO, a move that instilled prudence and financial responsibility in the agency. Between 2009 and 2017 only N900 million was returned to the Federal Government coffers.

But when he took over, in two years he returned over N2 billion generated as proceeds from the conduct of examinations, to the federation account, with an outstanding states indebtedness to the council for 2018 and 2019 towering at N1,045,047,140.00 billion.

He abolished the use of scratch cards in NECO to ensure that monies generated go directly to the treasury single account and worked hard to ensure reduction of examination registration fee from N11,350 to 9,850.

Meanwhile, his administration generated N600 million per annum from checking of results, from an initial N30 million; and purchased 20 Toyota Hilux vehicles from its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to aid its logistic challenges, and also bought 8000 biometric verification machines to improve the integrity of its examinations.

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Education

Igbinedion University, EduTech Global Partner On Digital Education, Access

Mr. Femi Shonubi, Co-Founder/CTO – EduTech Global

Published

2 months ago

August 18, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

Igbinedion University, Okada, one of Nigeria’s leading private universities, has entered into a strategic partnership with EduTech Global to accelerate its digital learning ambitions, expand access to its academic programmes to students in the country.

Through the partnership, EduTech will provide digital learning infrastructure and technology support for the University’s Distance Learning Centre (DLC), thereby enabling learners to access quality university education beyond the conventional campus environment.

The partnership reflects Igbinedion University’s ambition to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape by combining its academic heritage with technology, innovation and new models of learning that contribute to national workforce development.

Speaking on the partnership, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, said the collaboration represented a significant step in the university’s ambition to produce graduates equipped for national and global impact.

He said: “At Igbinedion University, our mandate has always been to lead in producing graduates equipped for national and global impact. This partnership with EduTech Global represents a bold step into the future of higher education in Nigeria.
“By expanding our digital learning infrastructure, we are not just breaking down geographical barriers; we are actively contributing to national workforce development by ensuring that quality, industry-aligned education is accessible to every driven learner, regardless of location.”

In his remarks, Director, Igbinedion University Distance Learning Centre, Prof. Gideon Bawa, said the university was motivated by the opportunity to transform its existing processes, which hitherto were being handled manually, and build a more efficient and scalable distance learning model.

The Director clarified: “The growth recorded by institutions that have leveraged EduTech’s technology and expertise was a major factor in our decision to engage the company. We are confident that this partnership will position Igbinedion University to achieve significant growth in enrolment while strengthening the quality and efficiency of our Distance Learning Centre.”

“With this partnership, we expect to move most of our administrative and academic activities online through EduTech. This will improve efficiency, enhance the learner experience and allow our facilitators and students to engage more effectively through a connected digital learning environment”, Bawa added.

Commenting on the collaboration, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, EduTech Global, Femi Shonubi, pointed out that technology had been redefining the boundaries of what a university can offer, adding that EduTech’s role extends beyond putting courses online.

Shonubi expatiated: “Technology’s true value lies in its ability to drive tangible socio-economic impact through education. By dismantling physical boundaries, we are empowering institutions like Igbinedion University to democratise access to high-quality learning. This is about more than online courses; it is about developing a resilient, highly skilled workforce at scale to meet the demands of the modern economy.

“We are helping institutions build connected learning ecosystems that support the student journey from application and enrolment through learning, assessment and graduation. Igbinedion University’s ambition to lead in innovative education aligns strongly with what we are building at EduTech.”

General Manager, Edutech Global, Moyosore Asubiojo said the partnership arises as demand grows for flexible higher education among working professionals, entrepreneurs and learners seeking alternatives to traditional full-time campus education.

She asserted that by combining Igbinedion University’s academic competence with EduTech’s technology capabilities, the collaboration will create new pathways to quality education and workforce development while enabling the University to expand beyond its traditional geographical footprint.

Analysts believe that the partnership between the university and the tech company represents a shared commitment to making higher education more accessible, flexible and scalable, while positioning the university to compete and lead in the next generation of technology-enabled education in Nigeria and globally.

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