Uyo — Akwa Ibom State Government has expressed readiness to implement any decision or accord reached by the federal government with the striking Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in resolving the four weeks old industrial dispute.

"Every serious administration and people should give the education sector every serious attention because, it is the bedrock of all development processes of any nation", the State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio said.

Akapbio made the call in Uyo, while declaring open the Coordinators' Meeting for 2008 Monothecnics, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Matriculation Examination, organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)

He urged the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to see reason to call off its nation-wide trade dispute to allow for fruitful and meaningful negotiations which would address all the burning issues.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Engr. Patrick Ekpotu, said the appeal became imperative because the strike is already taking its tolls on the sector.

The Monotechnics, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education, he noted provide useful training for youths, especially at the medium man-power training levels saying the state government will continue to accord this level of education priority importance.

He regretted that in recent times, public examinations in Nigeria have continued to attract negative comments from stakeholders and pointed out that some of the comments and criticisms needed to be addressed by the assessment practitioners.

If this is done, he said, the results emanating from "these examinations would be credible, reliable and true reflections of the candidates' efforts." He commended the recent efforts of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board at sanitising the examination sector. The governor also acknowledged the efforts of the JAMB to release the 2008 Universities Matriculation Examination results in an unprecedented record time of 10 days after the examination.

He implored other examination bodies to emulate the laudable success of the organisation to avoid certain frustrations to candidates.

In a remark, the Registrar/Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof Dibu Ojerinde, said in carrying out its mandate of conducting matriculation examination for selection of qualified candidates into tertiary institutions, JAMB usually holds meetings with Co-ordinators of its examinations prior to the examination.

This, he said affords management the opportunity to brief participants on the plans, preparations, strategies and arrangements for the smooth conduct of the examination.

He maintained that the Co-ordinators remained the link to the examination officials and therefore urged them to ensure that only credible people are appointed and briefed as to the current practices in the conduct of the examination.

The Coordinators at the meeting, according to the JAMB Chief Executive, were "very senior management staff of the nation's Monothecnics, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education from the Southern part of the country.