NECO records 58.67% pass, 64.7% drop in malpractice – Daily Trust

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has recorded a 58.67 per cent pass rate in the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal, with 804,948 candidates obtaining five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

The Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Professor Dantani Wushishi, announced the results on Thursday at the Council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State.

The results were released 63 days after the last paper of the examination was written on July 23, 2026.

According to Wushishi, 1,378,048 candidates registered for the examination, comprising 682,352 males and 695,696 females, while 1,371,992 candidates eventually sat for the exercise.

He disclosed that 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent of those who sat for the examination, obtained five credits and above, irrespective of their performance in English Language and Mathematics.

However, only 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, met the benchmark of five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

The NECO registrar also announced a significant decline in examination malpractice, saying 1,406 candidates were involved in various forms of malpractice in 2026, compared with 3,878 candidates recorded in 2025.

He said the figures represented a 64.74 per cent reduction in examination malpractice.

Wushishi attributed the decline to improved examination processes, strengthened monitoring and collaboration with security agencies and other stakeholders to protect the integrity of the examination.

He particularly highlighted the support of security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Services, noting that their presence helped reinforce discipline, deter wrongdoing and safeguard the examination process.

Advertisement

The 2026 SSCE Internal examination was conducted from June 15 to July 23, 2026, across the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory and six foreign countries.

The participating foreign countries were Benin Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Saudi Arabia.
The nationwide marking exercise took place between August 17 and September 4, 2026.

Wushishi disclosed that Kano State recorded the highest number of candidates who obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics, with 74,413 candidates.

Lagos State followed with 72,496 candidates, while Oyo State ranked third with 55,543 candidates meeting the same benchmark.

He said the Southwest geopolitical zone recorded the highest share in the overall performance ranking based on candidates who obtained five credits and above, irrespective of their performance in English Language and Mathematics.

The Southwest accounted for 24.60 per cent, followed by the Northwest with 22.10 per cent, North Central with 19.00 per cent, Northeast with 14.70 per cent, South-South with 10.53 per cent and Southeast with 9.07 per cent.

The registrar said the Council provided separate rankings based on candidates who obtained five credits and above, including classifications for performance with and without credits in English Language and Mathematics, as well as gender-based rankings.

In the North Central, Benue led the state-level ranking with 3.82 per cent, followed by Nasarawa with 3.66 per cent.

In the Southeast, Anambra topped the ranking with 2.92 per cent, followed by Enugu with 2.14 per cent. Ebonyi and Abia recorded 1.15 per cent and 0.57 per cent, respectively.

For the South-South, Rivers ranked first 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 said the detailed state, geopolitical zone and gender rankings were contained in the statistical tables accompanying the 2026 SSCE Internal results.
He also disclosed that candidates at NECO examination centres in Saudi Arabia and Niger Republic recorded no candidate with five credits and above under the stated benchmark.

The registrar revealed that 1,334 candidates with special needs participated in the examination, noting that the Council continued to make provisions to promote inclusiveness in the conduct of its assessments.

He expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, the Minister of Education, the Minister of State for Education, the NECO Governing Board, the National Assembly, security agencies, state governments, educational institutions and other stakeholders for their support.

Wushishi also commended the Council’s staff for their dedication and commitment to the successful conduct, marking and release of the 2026 SSCE results.
He formally declared the results released and said candidates could access their results through the NECO website using their examination registration numbers.

The registrar urged candidates to remain focused on their academic pursuits, assuring stakeholders that the Council would continue to uphold the credibility, fairness and integrity of its examinations.

Advertisement

“We will remain committed to our mandate and continue to uphold the integrity of our examinations,” Wushishi said.