By Gabriel Dike, Lagos
The Registrar/Chief Executive, National Examinations Council (NECO) Prof Godswill Obioma is dead. He died at his Minna resident at the age of 67.
A statement issued by the Director, Human Resource Management, Mr Mustapha Abdul in Minna, Niger State, on Tuesday quoted family sources as saying that Prof. Obioma died on May 31 after a brief illness.
Abdul said the family position is contrary to insinuations in social media that the late registrar was assassinated by unknown gunmen in his residence in Minna.
The statement enjoined the staff of the Council to remain calm and prayed for the repose of the soul of Prof Obioma.
Obioma was born on December 12, 1953, and hails from Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.
He was appointed Registrar of NECO on May 14, 2020, by President Muhammadu Buhari.
A Professor of Educational Measurement and Evaluation, late Prof Obioma was a former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).
Until his appointment as Registrar of NECO, Prof Obioma was the Ebonyi State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The late Registrar is survived by his wife and children.
Earlier reports by Online media claimed Prof Obioma was assassinated by unknown gunmen in his official residence.
Obioma had a running battle with the Governing Board Chairman, Mallam Sadiq Abubakar.
The face-off between Obioma and the board chairman lead to the deployment of armed security personnel at NECO headquarters Minna.