Buhari sacks Uwakwe as NECO registrar, dismisses four top officials

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the sack of Charles Uwakwe as registrar of the National Examination Council (NECO).

Uwakwe had been suspended since May 2018 after which a panel was constituted to probe the allegations of unsatisfactory conduct against him, with one involving the mismanagement of N25 billion.

But in a letter by Sonny Echono, permanent secretary of the federal ministry of education, the suspended NECO registrar was dismissed alongside four members of the management for various offences bordering on financial impropriety.

According to the letter, dated May 11, and pursuant to PSR 030402 and part 1 schedule 4 (i) of NECO Establishment Act, Uwakwe was accused of violating the Public Procurement Act (2007).

“After due consideration of the investigative panel on the allegation of unsatisfactory conduct leveled against you and some Management Staff of the Council, Mr. President in the exercise of his powers, has approved your removal as Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of National Examinations Council with effect from the date of your suspension from duty,” it read in part.

Uwakwe was directed to hand over all the government property in his custody to Abubakar Gana, who had been appointed as the acting registrar since 2018.

In another letter by Echono, Buhari also approved the dismissal from service of the four management staff.

The affected senior officials include Bamidele Olure, director of finance and accounts; Shina Adetona, head of NECO’s procurement division; Tayo Odukoya, deputy director; and Babatunde Aina, head of legal and board matters.

Olure was dismissed after being “found guilty of financial impropriety and not qualified to Head the Finance and Accounts Department.”

Adetona, who was similarly relieved of his duties, was put up for prosecution “for acts tantamount to fraudulent practices, sabotage, and suppression of official records.”

Addressed to the NECO management, the letter ordered that the council begins recovering ill-gotten benefits from Odukoya, who had acted as director of the company M/S I-web Solutions.