Olaleye Aluko, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has dissolved the Governing Board of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board over N49m contracts allegedly unaccounted for and reinstated the suspended Registrar, Prof. Ifeoma Abanihe.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono, revealed the President’s decision in a statement on Monday. He noted that the suspension of the registrar and four directors in the agency by the governing board did not “follow the due process.”

Echono said the President had directed the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to take “immediate measures to reposition and refocus NABTEB for greater efficiency.”

Our correspondent reported on Monday that the NABTEB Governing Board headed by Prof Leonard Shilgba announced the suspension of the registrar and four directors over their failure to account for N49m contracts awarded by the examination body.

It was also reported that the suspension followed an investigative panel report, which uncovered irregularities in contract awards, in which about N49,779,000 was allegedly unaccounted for by the registrar.

Echono said, “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the dissolution of the Governing Board of NABTEB with immediate effect. He has also directed the Minister of Education to take immediate measures to reposition and refocus NABTEB for greater efficiency and to render its performance more responsive to the expectations of the present administration.

“The suspension of the registrar and four directors of NABTEB has been nullified as it did not conform with due process because the board went beyond its powers and in contravention of Sections 5 and 6 of the NABTEB Act.”

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