Retirement: Yakubu Bosso Bows out From NECO amidst Encomiums
By AbdurRaheem Sa’ad Dembo,anipr
According to Robert Delamontagne,a leading Expert on Retirement and Author of “The Retiring Mind”,”For many, retirement is a time for personal growth, which becomes the path to greater freedom”
It is never a time or period of redundancy but a step to a new phase of life for sustainable growth,and doing something differently.
On 25th October,2025, Alhaji Yakubu Bosso retired from the service of National Examinations Council (NECO) after serving meritoriously.
Until his retirement he was the Head of Division ,Exam Management:BECE, NCEE and NGE.He also served as subject unit Head of Civic Education for about 6 to 7 years before he was appointed as HOD in the year 2020.
My first encounter with him was in 2011 during trial testing in Benin,Edo state.He was the Head of trial testing team to Edo state that year. It was a great experience for me, because of the way he coordinated the assignment, and the assistance he rendered to me.Any opportunity you had to relate with people let it be positive and worthwhile.
What I know about him is pragmatism and his sense of dressing.He appears neat whenever I come across him in the Council.His sense of humour and judgement are also superb.
As a tradition in this kind of piece, only yours sincerely cannot say it all, that was why I had to reach out to other senior colleagues to tell me more about Bosso’s personality within the Council
An Assistant Director at the headquarters,Mr Bolaji Aluko has this to say about Alhaji Yakubu Bosso:
“He is a kind gentle person, he related freely with everybody that worked with him and he doesn’t discriminate, irrespective of age or gender. He is a detribalised person and very jovial.”
Similarly,An Assistant Director,Mr Samaila Abdulsalam,AKA Dan Katsina asserted:” I started working under him as a Conrais 8 Officer,then Civic Education had not been introduced, so it was all social studies at our unit.Alhaji Bosso took and treated me like his son.He mentored me very well and has confidence in my ability.I love him so much, because he is a Mentor, Teacher, Father, Leader and Boss.His mentorship has helped me a lot.Above all,he understood the work very well.I wish him the best in his endeavours.”
A staff member of the Council,Mr Gambo B Alhaji opined:”I worked with him and is a very simple and straightforward person.He carried everyone along.
If one made a mistake, he has a pragmatic and polite ways of correcting such mistakes.
In the same vein,Dr Suraj Abdulkarim in a lengthy expression described Alhaji Bosso thus:”He wasn’t just a boss,he’s more like a brother and a friend to us all. He treated everyone with respect, kindness and genuine care.
He believes that leadership wasn’t just about giving orders, but about working together as a team.
I will never forget the time I didn’t get promotion, a moment that could have broken my spirit. But he was right there beside me, offering words of encouragement and reminding me that setbacks are not the end, but the path to something greater. His belief in me gave me the strength to keep going, and that I will always be grateful.
As he moves on to this well-deserved phase of rest and relaxation, we celebrate not just his achievement, but the kind of person he is- compassionate, supportive and full of wisdom
I wish him happiness, good health, and peace in the years ahead.”
It is a rare grace to witness retirement as many couldn’t attain such a feat.One is not mocking them but appreciating the Almighty Allah’s favour on Bosso
Most Importantly,it is imperative to say that Alhaji Bosso had served with NECO creditably without any blemish.I pray that Allah grants him wisdom and wherewithal to navigate the new phase of life.
Happy retirement,sir
