A group,the Centre for Social Justice, equity and Transparency (CESJET) on Saturday, August 6, condemned the protest against the appointment of Charles Uwakwe as the new registrar for the National Examination Council (NECO)
–The group said the protest is mischievous as the appointment of Uwakwe by President Muhammadu Buhari is well deserved
civil rights group, the Centre for Social Justice, equity and Transparency (CESJET) has condemned the protest against the appointment of Charles Uwakwe as the new registrar for the National Examination Council (NECO).
In a statement signed by Ikpa Issac, CESJET described the appointment of Uwakwe as well deserved. Isaac said it is irresponsible for protesters to call for the reversal of Uwakwe’s appointment over over ethnic divide. He said the protest that the new registrar is from the southern part of the Nigerian and no northerner has even occupied the position is unguarded.
Isaac said: “It is even more depressing when the Citizens Advocacy for Equity and Educational Development further explained that the registrar should have come from the north because the council’s headquarters is located in the north.”
“If the head of every government agency has to be appointed on the basis of geo-location, then the north would be left massively disadvantaged as many of the government establishments headed by northerners are not located in their geographical areas.
“The demand of the protesters is dangerous coming at a time when there is outcry in some quarters that the appointments under the current government tilted in favour of the north; acceding to the protesters’ demand would therefore only worsen the sense of discrimination that is already growing in some geo-political zones and cannot be in the interest of Nigeria,” he said.
Isaac also said because NECO is one of the government agencies, ethnicity should never play a role in the appointment of its head. Referring to such issue as sensitive to the educational sector, Issac said the appointment for such position should be driven by competence and excellence at all times.
“We at the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency wish to laud the Hon Minister of Education for in ghe first place finding a man with the necessary qualities to pilot the affairs of our nation’s only senior certification agency at this point in time,” he said.
He said irrespective of Uwakwe ethnicity, the professor meets the rigorous requirements over and above for the position. He called on mischief makers to allow him (Uwakwe) settle down to the task of bringing his skills to bear in the running of the affairs of NECO.
He assured that the new registrar would work towards ensuring that certificates issued by NECO would be acceptable all over the world.
Isaac also urged the new NECO registrar to see the protest as testament to the awe his credential instills in those that do not want to see NECO grow, and encouraged him to put in extra efforts at excelling in his new assignment.
Uwakwe was appointed as the new NECO registrar on Tuesday, August 2, by President Muhammadu Buhari. Alongside his appointment came that of 16 other heads of various education agencies.
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