NOUN to Integrate NECO e-Verify Platform for 2026 Admissions
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) will adopt the National Examinations Council (NECO) e-Verify platform beginning with the 2026 admission cycle, in a move aimed at strengthening result authentication and promoting computer-based examinations nationwide.
NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the university. He said the collaboration is designed to safeguard the integrity of NECO certificates and ensure that only candidates with authentic results secure admission into NOUN.
Wushishi, who congratulated NOUN’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, on his appointment, described him as a seasoned administrator with strong academic credentials.
According to him, the visit had three key objectives: to formally felicitate with the new vice-chancellor, to advance collaboration on result authentication through NECO’s e-Verify platform, and to explore areas of partnership in computer-based testing (CBT).
He recalled that NECO previously conducted result verification manually—a process that often took months to complete for institutions across more than 50 countries. However, the introduction of the e-Verify system two years ago has significantly improved efficiency, with nearly five million results verified electronically so far.
“With the API integration, institutions can seamlessly confirm the authenticity of candidates’ NECO results without delay,” Wushishi said, urging NOUN to fully integrate the platform.
He also highlighted NOUN’s extensive CBT infrastructure nationwide, noting that NECO is aligning with the Federal Ministry of Education’s policy to transition fully from paper-based to computer-based examinations.
In his response, Prof. Uduma welcomed the initiative and assured NECO of the university’s readiness to collaborate. He emphasized that result verification remains critical to maintaining academic standards.
“Any certificate that is not verified is a paper tiger,” the vice-chancellor stated.
Uduma confirmed that NOUN will commence integration with the NECO e-Verify platform starting from the 2026 admission cycle. He also pledged the university’s support for NECO’s CBT expansion, citing NOUN’s network of about 128 study centres nationwide.
To accelerate implementation, the vice-chancellor announced the formation of a joint committee comprising key academic and ICT officials from both institutions to drive the partnership forward.