FG reduces JAMB, NECO exam fees

THE Federal Government has announced a reduction in the cost of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB and National Examination Council (NECO) registration and examination fees.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the  Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.

With the reduction, which comes into effect in 2019, applicants will pay N3,500 as JAMB examination fees instead of N5,000, N9,850 rather than the N11,350 for Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) handled by NECO, and N4,000 instead of N5,500 for Basic Education Certificate which is also handled by NECO.

The minister said the reduction was approved by the FEC after the memo on it was presented to the council by the Education minister.

He said the reduction followed the plea made by parents.

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Adamu said:  “Since the new administration came into office and a change in management and prudent management by JAMB, we have been able to see that most of what has been charged doesn’t have to be because a lot of it has been syphoned by corrupt officials.

“So, in answer to yearnings by parents, Mr President directed that we should look into the possibility of reducing the charges.

“So accordingly, from January 2019, JAMB fees will be from N5,000 to N3,500 for the UTME, Senior Secondary Certificate charged by National Examination Council (NECO) from 11,350 to N9,850 and Basic Education Certificate handled by NECO is reduced from N5,500 to N4,000.”

On the current strike by university teachers under the umbrella of Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), Adamu said that the Federal Government would resume negotiations with the lecturers on Friday confident that the contentious issues would be resolved.

Also, briefing correspondents on the FEC outcome, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed that the council also approved 11 ecological interventions projects valued at N9.6 billion.

According to him, the projects are in Lagos – Jetty and Shoreline Protection Facilities; flood and erosion control in Oyo town, Oyo State, erosion control of flooded areas/road improvement in Owo, Ondo state; erosion control of flooded areas in Akampa in Cross River and road and stem water defiance in Federal College of Education in Yola, Adamawa.

Others are road and bridges at Dutse Saki village in Buguru local government in Bauchi; erosion control at Kazaure in Jigawa, intervention at Main Campus Phase II Site at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna, Erosion and flood control at Kontagunra local government area of Niger State, Gully erosion and road improvement at Army Post Service Estate, Kurudu Abuja and Erosion and flood control at Asharawa area council in Phase II in FCT, Abuja.

He said Council also approved three industrial wastes combined incinerators for environmental friendly destruction of counterfeit and substandard regulated products.

It was approved for NAFDAC at the sum of N267,585,160.

Similarly, he also said that FEC approved N267 million for three environmental friendly incinerators for NAFDAC which will help in the destruction of fake drugs by the agency.

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau, in his remark, said FEC approved N14.7 billion for the new Economic Community of the West African States, ECOWAS, travel certificates.

He said the project was a recommendation of West African regional leaders since 2016 as the ECOWAS travel papers can easily be faked.

According to him, the certificate will carry security features like the picture and fingerprints of the holder which the current certificate which could be easily forged by anybody does not have.

The Interior Minister also said that the new project is for the security of the Nigerian borders and that the agreement for the contract would be signed at a later date.

He further said that it is a contractor financed project that will last for ten years and that 13 million cards will be produced within the period.

“To make it easier for Nigeria, the project will incorporate her National Identity Number (NIN). It is hoped that the new cards will help safeguard Nigeria’s borders,” he said.

The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Suleiman Hassan also briefed on the sector, saying  FEC approved N3.4 billion for the furnishing of three Federal Secretariat complex in Anambra, Zamfara and Bayelsa states and N331. 2 billion for rehabilitation of some bridges in the northeast.

Hassan said council approved two memos. “The first one is the furnishing of the federal secretariat complexes in three states of the federation, Akwa in Anambra State, Gusau in Zamfara and Yenagoa in Bayelsa State at the cost of N3.48 billion.

“It is the duty of the federal ministry Power, Works and Housing to provide decent accommodation for federal agencies and other offices in various states of the federation to make their workings easier and more comfortable for better results.

“So these their complexes have been completed and ready for commission before the end of the year.”

The council also approved the rehabilitation of some broken down bridges in the northeast region that were destroyed by insurgents at the cost of N813,458,132.

“The first is on the road between Maiduguri, Dikwa and Gamboru. The second is at the famous Limankara, there is a bridge there that links Maiduguri to Dama, Goza, Hong and Yola at the cost of N331.2 billion.”

He also said that the bridge in Gombe State will cost of N304 million, adding that the total cost for rehabilitation of the bridges is N813,458,132.