THE National Examinations Council (NECO) has refuted claims that its Registrar, Godswill Obioma, was assassinated.
NECO in a statement by its Director of Human Resources, Abdul Mustapha, today said Obioma died in his sleep as a result of heart failure.
Mustapha stated that the son of the deceased had informed the management of the agency that his father was not assassinated.
The message read thus: “Mustapha K. Abdul (Director Human Resource Management, NECO.
“Dear Sir, this is to formally inform you that my father, Prof. Godswill Obioma, the Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO passed to eternal glory yesterday 31/5/2021 after a brief illness.
“We request that you kindly notify the Board, Management and the entire staff of the Council of this development.
“We shall keep you duly informed.
“Prince Godswill Obioma the 2nd, for the family.”
Recall that reports had said unknown gunmen suspected to be assassins killed the NECO registrar last night when they stormed his residence in Minna, the Niger State capital.
His widow, Mrs Elizabeth Obioma, was alleged to have told reporters that the assailants killed her husband and left without taking anything.
Professor Obioma, a 67-year-old indigene of Abia State, assumed office as NECO Registrar on May 22, 2020.
He graduated from Alvan Ikoku College of Education in Owerri, Imo State in 1982 and proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State in 1979.
Years later after he got his second degree, he became a professor of Mathematics Education and Evaluation, University of Jos, in December 1991.
The late NECO boss left the classroom (lecture hall) in 1994 and has served as a member of several Federal Government Committees on Education, one of which he was the Chairman of the Federal Ministry of Education Roadmap for the Development of the Education Sector.
He also coordinated both the reforms of school curricula and the review of the National Policy on Education in Nigeria.
Professor Obioma served as the President of the UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE) Council from 2014 to 2016, having previously served as its Vice President representing the Africa region.
