Don’t buy above N300 official price – NECO
Parents and students have decried the alleged extortion by the vendors of the result scratch cards for the just released May/June 2017 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination of the National Examination Council.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that many E-centres selling the NECO result scratch cards charged as high as N800 against the council’s stipulated official amount of N300. Checks in some areas in Lagos, including Iyana Ipaja, Ikeja, Surulere, Ojodu , Oworonshoki, Lekki and Epe revealed that the cards were being sold for N800.
A parent, Mr. Ayodeji Lawal, who resides in Ayobo, Lagos, said when he could not get the card for his son at N300 in his area, he proceeded to Iyana Ipaja, where it was also sold at N800 at the different centres, instead of the N300 indicated on NECO website.
“How can NECO tell us to get our cards at N300, but we are getting it at N800? This is extortion of the highest level. The N500 difference is too much for us,” Lawal said.
Another student, Miss Femi Olaide, who lives in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, also complained that the electronic centres were trying to make brisk business from the unsuspecting public because of the high demand for the scratch cards at the moment.
”Those cyber cafes are trying to play a smart one by telling us that the scratch card has now become more expensive. We want the government to intervene,” she said.
The Chief Information Officer, NECO, Mr. Abdul Azeez Sani, said the council was not aware of such a development as the N300 stipulated for the result scratch card by the council had not been changed.
Sani stressed that no one should buy the card above the official price of N300, adding that NECO had not authorised any cybercafé to sell the cards.
”Don’t go to cyber cafes, because these cafes are out there to make profit; that is why we encourage parents to go to the state offices to buy the scratch cards. In Lagos, our state office is at Ilupeju; everybody is meant to go there to buy the cards. This is news to me because we are not aware; we have not authorised any cyber café to sell scratch cards. We will investigate the matter and offenders will be brought to book,” he said.
