Nigerian government suspends education commission boss over corruption allegation

The Nigerian government has suspended the Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Benjamin Abakpa, a professor of Mathematics Education, over allegations bordering on corruption.

According to a report, Abakpa was reportedly suspended on Wednesday. He was asked to hand over to the most senior director in the Federal Ministry of Education (FME).

The new development was confirmed on Thursday by the Commission’s spokeswoman, Fatima Bappare.

She said the suspension order was sanctioned by the authorities at the education ministry.

“Yes, he was suspended. He has handed over to the most senior director in the commission,” she said in a telephone interview.

Appointed in April 2021, Mr Abakpa is the pioneer executive secretary of the Commission.

It was reported that the governing board of the Commission had earlier accused the embattled official of “administrative ineptitude, financial misappropriation and lack of synergy” which the board claimed led to the constitution of “an administrative fact-finding committee to investigate the allegations”.

However, following what an insider described as the failure of Mr Abakpa to satisfactorily defend the allegations, he was recommended for suspension by the board.

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