A 20-year-old man in Kano State has set himself ablaze over his inability to pay for the 2021 Secondary School Leaving Certificate Examination (SSCE) organised by the National Examination Council (NECO).
The incident reportedly happened on Tuesday, June 29 in Garo town of Kabo Local Government Area of the State.
The man, who was identified as Danladi Shu’aib, had failed the exams three times but could not raise money to register for the 2021 examination.
A resident, Ya’u Ahmad Garo, confirmed that Mr Shu’aib threatened to commit suicide if he failed to write the examination.
He also explained that Shu’aib was later taken to the hospital after setting himself ablaze, but died two days later, Daily Trust reports.
Mr Shu’aib’s neighbour, who pleaded anonymity, said: “Danladi used to go and work in one mechanic garage, so after getting his pay for the day, he used them to buy fuel, and later entered one room in their house, poured it on his body and set himself ablaze.
“However, when the fire heat penetrated his body, he started crying for help. People were able to put it off and rushed him to the hospital
“But, two days after, he died as a result of the injuries he sustained from the inferno,” the source added.
It was also reported that Mr Shu’aib was able to raise half of the amount earlier but gave up when he couldn’t get the remaining half to complete it.
NECO had insisted in a statement issued on June 9 that “the registration exercise which started on March 31, will close on Friday, June 25, 2021 and will not be subjected to extension, while the examination will commence unfailingly on Monday, July 5, 2021.”
The examination body was established in April, 1999 by the administration of the former head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar in reaction to the widespread escalating agitations for a national examination body that would be responsive to the Nigerian needs and demands as well as cope with the annually increasing number of candidates to take SSCE nationwide.
