Jane Salihu
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal, with 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent of those who sat for the examination, obtaining at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
Registrar of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, announced the results on Thursday at a press conference in Minna, Niger State, 63 days after the last paper of the examination was written.
A total of 1,378,048 candidates registered for the examination, while 1,371,992 candidates eventually sat for the exercise, which was conducted between June 15 and July 23, 2026.
Wushishi said 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, obtained five credits and above irrespective of their performance in English Language and Mathematics.
A major highlight of the results was the sharp decline in examination malpractice, with 1,406 candidates recorded to have been involved in various forms of malpractice, compared with 3,878 candidates in 2025.
The figure represents a 64.74 per cent reduction in reported examination malpractice, according to the NECO registrar.
Wushishi attributed the improved examination integrity partly to the vigilance and support of security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Services, during the conduct of the examination.
He said their presence helped to reinforce discipline, deter wrongdoing and safeguard the integrity of the examination process.
The state-by-state performance statistics also revealed significant variations across the country, with Kano recording the highest number of candidates who obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
Kano recorded 74,413 candidates in the category, followed by Lagos with 72,496 and Oyo with 55,543 candidates.
At the geopolitical zone level, the Southwest recorded the highest share of candidates who obtained five credits and above irrespective of performance in English Language and Mathematics, with 24.60 per cent.
The Northwest followed with 22.10 per cent, North Central 19.00 per cent, Northeast 14.70 per cent, South-South 10.53 per cent and Southeast 9.07 per cent.
In the North Central, Benue led the state-level ranking with 3.82 per cent, followed by Nasarawa with 3.66 per cent, while Anambra topped the Southeast with 2.92 per cent.
In the South-South, Rivers led with 3.03 per cent, followed by Edo with 2.17 per cent, Delta with 1.84 per cent, Akwa Ibom with 1.61 per cent and Cross River with 1.30 per cent.
Wushishi also disclosed that candidates in the NECO centres in Saudi Arabia and Niger Republic recorded no candidate with five credits and above in the category.
He said the Council had provided separate statistical rankings covering geopolitical zones, states, gender and candidates’ performance in English Language and Mathematics.
The registrar thanked President Bola Tinubu for reappointing him for a second tenure and the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for his confidence in the leadership of the Council.
He assured stakeholders that NECO would continue to uphold the integrity of its examinations and strengthen measures aimed at ensuring credible assessment of Nigerian students.
