NECO recognized for quality educational assessment, Wushishi elected AEAA vice president
By Uji A. Iliyasu, Abuja
The Registrar and Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, has been elected Vice President of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA), while Nigeria has also secured the right to host the association’s 2027 conference in Abuja.
The development was announced in a press statement on Friday by Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, NECO, Azeez Sani who said the decisions were endorsed by the AEAA General Assembly at the just-concluded 42nd Conference of the association in Arusha, Tanzania.
According to the statement, the twin developments reflect growing recognition of Nigeria’s influence in educational assessment, particularly in meeting the demands of digital transformation and the integration of artificial intelligence in testing and certification.
Prof. Wushishi’s election follows his service on the AEAA Executive Council as the representative of the West African sub-region.
Since assuming office as NECO Registrar in 2021, he has overseen reforms aimed at modernising examination administration, expanding the council’s technological infrastructure and broadening its international reach.
NECO examinations are now conducted in eight foreign countries, extending the council’s footprint beyond Nigeria’s borders.
Nigeria will host the 2027 AEAA Conference in Abuja from August 16 to 20, 2027. The event is expected to provide a platform for the country to showcase its ongoing reforms in educational assessment while hosting policymakers, researchers, examination administrators and education experts from across Africa.
Born on April 5, 1965, in Wushishi, Niger State, Prof. Wushishi is a scholar of Science Education with a specialisation in Chemistry Education.
Before his appointment as NECO Registrar, he built an academic career at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and the Federal University of Technology, Minna, where he held several leadership positions, including Head of Department, Postgraduate Coordinator and Sub-Dean.
His reappointment as NECO Registrar by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu earlier this year was widely seen as an endorsement of his technological and administrative reforms.
The latest developments in Arusha further strengthen Nigeria’s position within Africa’s educational assessment community and underscore the country’s ambition to become a leading voice in the continent’s evolving examination landscape.