SaharaReporters earlier reported how the examination body ordered all their staff across the country to travel to Minna for their promotion exercise which is slated to be held on February 14 and an oral interview for the following day.
Some staff of the National Examinations Council (NECO) have spoken against the decision of the examination body to use only the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State as the venue for the 2024 staff promotion examination and interview.
SaharaReporters earlier reported how the examination body ordered all their staff across the country to travel to Minna for their promotion exercise which is slated to be held on February 14 and an oral interview for the following day.
A circular dated January 9, 2024, with Ref: NECO/AD/46/X/1082 which SaharaReporters stated that staff members would bear the cost of their transportation and accommodation to sit the examination that would be held centrally at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State.
A staff of the body residing in Adamawa State who spoke to SaharaReporters described the decision of the management as inconsiderate in the light of the current situation of the country.
He said, “They did not care about our safety. Look at me; I will need to travel by road from Yola to Minna. Niger is a state we all know where bandits operate freely. They don’t care if I am kidnapped on my way. This thing can be done by region. They want to suffer us by asking all of us in the country to go to Minna.”
The staff also stated that the practice of them bearing the cost of transportation and lodging for the three days they were required to spend in Minna was callous, given Nigerians' current economic woes.
He continued: “You also saw what they said in the circular, we would pay for everything. If we are to pay for everything? Why can’t they allow us to do the exams and the interview at the states where we work? Like I said, this is just to suffer us and they don’t care about us. They don’t care about our well-being.
“How much is my salary that they expect me to pay for transport, hostels and also feeding because I want promotion which is my right as a worker?,” he added.
Another NECO worker, residing in Zamfara State agreed that the management was not concerned about them by asking all the workers to meet in Minna for the promotional examination and exercise.
He said, “I don’t understand why we must go to Niger all of us before we can take our exam and interviews. I did not see any reasons for that. The best should have been to allow all of us take our examinations and interviews in states very close to us.”