Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi who attributed the slight decline in the number of candidates to the economy which has thrown millions of Nigerians into poverty, noted that unlike examinations conducted for the higher classes sponsored by some politicians and states, parents usually foot the bills for registration of their children or wards at the NCEE level.
He however noted an increase in the number of female candidates compared to last year’s registration.
“We have 33,335 male who registered and 37,000 plus female, we have the total of 70,608 that are so far registered which is below last year.
“Last year, it was about 72,000 plus. So you find that generally for the male and female, last year’s registration was higher than this year’s registration
“This could be attributed to so many factors, economic factors is most prevalent factor that maybe will hinder large registration.
“We all know what is happening in the economy, and it is affecting everybody. The bulk of the population is in the rural areas and in some states, they don’t sponsor candidate at this level. It’s the parents that sponsor the candidates.
“Sometimes politicians, sometimes traditional rulers, so you can see why economic factor is the most prevailing factor hindering this registration.”
The Registrar further noted that candidates who were unable to register for the examination before 6am on Saturday were unable to sit for the examination.
