There have been different accounts of the cause of death of NECO registrar, Professor Godswill Obioma.
Gatekeepers News reports that there is confusion over the cause of death of the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of National Examinations Council (NECO) Professor Godswill Obioma.
My Husband Was Strangulated To Death —Wife
Some quarters of media quoted the wife to have said that her husband was assassinated by ‘unknown gunmen’ by strangulating him to death.
He Died Of Brief illness —Son
However, the son of the late professor, Godswill Obioma isn’t buying his mother’s version of how his father died. For him, his father died on Monday afternoon May 31, “after a brief illness”.
This was contained in a message the son of the late professor of educational measurement and evaluation, Godswill Obioma the 2nd, shared with the management of NECO.
The short message, a copy of which was obtained by Gatekeepers News reads in part:
“Dear Sir, this is to formally inform you that my father, Prof. Godswill Obioma, the registrar/chief executive officer of NECO passed to eternal glory yesterday 31/5/2021 after a brief illness.”
Similarly, NECO in a circular signed by its Director Human Resource Management, Mustapha K Abdul said he died after a brief illness.
Mustapha in the circular said:
“I am directed to inform all staff of the council of the death of Prof Godswill Obioma, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of National Examinations Council (NECO) who according to family sources died yesterday, 31st May 2021 after a brief illness. While Staff is enjoined to remain calm, the council Prays for the peaceful repose of his soul.”
Obioma who was born as a native of Amaokpu, Nkpa, Bende Local Government Area, Abia State was appointed as the Registrar of NECO on the 22nd of May 2020 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In 1975, he graduated from Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education where he studied mathematics and physics, graduating with distinction and as the overall best graduating student.
He was known to have started his career at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka as a research fellow, after previously been retained by the same institution when he graduated. He left the university in 1988 and moved to the University of Jos and became the head of the research division of the institute of education as a senior research fellow.
In 1991 at the age of 38, he was appointed a professor of mathematics education and evaluation at the University of Jos, becoming the head of a department, department of science, mathematics and technology education in 1993.
He served as the special assistant on policy monitoring and evaluation to the military administrator of Abia State in 1994.
Obioma served as the director, monitoring and evaluation of the National Primary Education Commission, Kaduna from 1994 to 2000 before becoming the director, monitoring and evaluation, Universal Basic Education Programme, Abuja in 2000.
He served as the director, monitoring, research and statistics, National Board for Technical Education (NABTEB), Benin City from 2003 to 2005.
