NABTEB protests rejection of certificates by varsities, others

THE chairman of the newly inaugurated governing board of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Professor Leonard Karshima Shilgba, has condemned the alleged rejection and discrimination against the certificates issued by the board.

He said it was unacceptable for universities and other tertiary institutions in the country to deny candidates who are holders of NABTEB certificates admission for further studies.

Reacting to the development in Abuja, Professor Shilgba described it as illegal, unlawful and an act of impunity displayed by some higher institutions in Nigeria.

He said: “I must remind (us all) that Decree 70 of 1993 (now Act 70, CAP N12, LFN 2004) has accorded NABTEB legal status and widened its scope of operations in business and technical examination in Nigeria.

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“Accordingly, and as clearly stipulated in the enabling law at Section 3 (b), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board shall “take over the conduct of technical and business examinations hitherto conducted by the Royal Society of Arts ( RSA) of London, City and Guilds of London and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

“I also wish to say that NABTEB is a national examinations body established by law; and it is unlawful, illegal, and an act of impunity for any university, polytechnic, college of education or any tertiary education institution to reject or discriminate against any relevant certificates issued by NABTEB towards the selection of candidates for the purpose of admission.”

Shilgba added that the NABTEB governing board and management would soon convene a meeting of the managers or chief administrators of all business and technical examinations bodies and agencies currently operating in Nigeria.

He said the board would also announce a set of guiding principles and procedures for accreditation and coordination of all business and technical examinations in Nigeria as part effort to reposition the sub-sector.