The Registrar/ Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi has said that six Northern states’ governments are owing the council to the tune of N2.8billion adding that state governments offered to pay examinations fees for candidates from their various states.

The NECO boss made the startling revelation at the weekend at the Headquarters of the National Examinations body in Minna Niger State on the sidelines of the release of the results of the June/July 2021 Senior Secondary Schools Examinations (SSCE) adding that Zamfara, Adamawa, Kano, Gombe, Borno and Niger State Governments owed the council N2.8 billion fees for the students they registered in 2019.

He however lamented that most of the states owing the council a lot of money were yet to be remitted to it, even when the examination body had not withheld the results of the defaulting states in the spirit of mutual respect, togetherness and understanding.

According to him, the council had engaged the affected states in dialogue towards the amicable resolution of the matter.

Wushishi reminded the defaulting state governors that it was with this money that NECO paid the staff involved in carrying out the examinations, in addition to buying needed materials for the smooth conduct of the Senior Secondary School Examinations.

He, therefore, appealed to the governors of the Northern states to without further delay expedite actions o  meet their obligations by settling their debts with the view to enable NECO to diligently discharge its responsibilities.