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NECO Releases Nov/Dec Results
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the 2012 November/December Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination with an improvement over the past three years’ results.
A total of 83,755 candidates registered for the examinations, out of which 75,623 actually sat for the examinations.
Registrar/Chief Executive of the council, Professor Promise Okpala while formally releasing the results in Minna, yesterday, said a total of 21,274 malpractice cases were recorded across the country during the examinations.
A breakdown of the results shows that 83,755 candidates registered for English, out of which 75,623 sat for it while 25,620 or 33.86 per cent got credit, 15,268 or 20.18 per cent passed while 32,425 or 42.87 per cent failed.
In Mathematics, 83,560 registered, out of which 75,245 sat for the examinations while 41,228 or 54.79 per cent had credit while 8,034 or 10.67 per cent passed and 23,962 or 31.84 per cent failed.
Results of some of the core subjects also show that out of 80,829 that registered for them, 72,887 sat for them while 16,650 or 22.84 per cent had credit while 12,768 or 17.51 per cent passed and 41,352 or 56.73 per cent failed.
In Chemistry, 38,123 registered for it while 35,194 actually sat with 10,620 or 30.17 per cent having credit, 4,501 or 12.178 per cent having pass while 18,974 or 53.91 per cent failed.
Other core subjects like Physics had 38,039 registered with 35,057 while 94 or 0.26 per cent had credit, 8.74 or 2.49 per cent having pass while 33,000 or 94.13 per cent failed.
Further Mathematics had 3,564 registered with 2,310 sitting, 352 or 15.23 per cent coming out with credit while 208 or 9.00 per cent had pass with 40.501 or 71.92 per cent failing the paper.
Prof Okpala said the council will continue to ensure appropriate standard and excellence before, during and after the examinations, pointing out that with the efforts put in past years, the results being released and those to be released in future will be reliable, valid and credible.
A comparative analysis of the results by subjects depicts improvement over the past three years from 4.7 per cent in 2010, through 10.0 per cent in 2011 to 33.9 per cent in 2012 in English Language and from 19.4 per cent in 2010 through 44.7 per cent in 2011 to 54.8 per cent in 2012 in Mathematics.
Chairman, Governing Board of the council, Dr Paddy Njoku, who was present at the official release of the results, said analysis has shown that the past examinations were devoid of leakage, and thus, making a distinctive progress of the integrity of NECO Certificates.
“Because of the high standard of NECO Certificate now, people tend to acquire the certificate by all means and just as people tend to fake the dollars more than other currencies because of its acceptability so is also NECO Certificate but we will continue to fight those involved in trying to fake our Certificate,” the board chairman assured.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.