Niger state government has commenced payments of N30 million monthly to off settlement huge debts it is owes the National Examinations Council (NECO) for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE) registered by students of public schools in the state.
The state Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, state this on Friday while receiving in audience the Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, at the Government House, Minna.
The governor said the approval for the instalment payment has been made while he volunteered to do follow up on how the examination body can recover its debt from other states of the federation.
Bago said that government has decided to provide free transportation for pupils in public schools in the state as part of efforts to increase children enrolment and also cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.
He urged the Council to do more in terms of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSRs) to the state.
Earlier, the NECO registrar said his visit was to congratulate the governor and seek for more collaboration between the council and the state government.
He explained that Niger state has experienced a fluctuating registration figures for the Senior Secondary School Examinations from 2018 to 2022.