From Dan Amasingha, Minna

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.

The figure represents a 1.

59 percentage-point decline from the 60.26 per cent recorded in 2025, when 818,492 candidates met the same benchmark.

Announcing the results yesterday at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State, NECO Registrar and Chief Executive, Prof.

Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, said 1,378,048 candidates registered for the 2026 examination, comprising 682,352 males and 695,696 females.

He said 1,371,992 candidates eventually sat for the examination, including 678,903 males and 693,089 females.

Wushishi, however, disclosed that the overall five-credit performance improved slightly, with 1,162,118 candidates, representing about 84.67 per cent, obtaining five credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.

The figure compares with 1,144,496 candidates, or 84.26 per cent, recorded under the same benchmark in 2025.

In absolute terms, the number of candidates who secured five credits including the two core subjects fell by 13,544, from 818,492 in 2025 to 804,948 in 2026. By contrast, the number who obtained five credits irrespective of English and Mathematics increased by 17,622.

The number of candidates who sat for the examination also rose by 13,653, from 1,358,339 in 2025 to 1,371,992 in 2026.

Malpractice records sharp decline

The council also reported a substantial reduction in examination malpractice, with 1,406 candidates implicated in various forms of malpractice in 2026, compared with 3,878 candidates in 2025.

The latest figure represents a 63.74 per cent decline from the previous year’s record. NECO had recorded 10,094 malpractice cases in 2024.

Wushishi attributed the reduction to improved examination processes, strengthened monitoring and collaboration with security agencies and other stakeholders.

He specifically acknowledged the support of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Services, saying their involvement helped reinforce discipline, deter malpractice and safeguard the examination process.

Kano leads state figures

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

Lagos followed with 72,496, while Oyo recorded 55,543 candidates under the same benchmark.

At the geopolitical-zone level, the Southwest accounted for the largest share of candidates with five credits and above irrespective of English and Mathematics, at 24.60 per cent. It was 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 council also released separate state, geopolitical-zone and gender rankings based on the different performance benchmarks.

In the North Central, Benue led with 3.82 per cent, followed by Nasarawa with 3.66 per cent. Anambra led the Southeast with 2.92 per cent, ahead of Enugu with 2.14 per cent.

Rivers topped the South-South ranking 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 at NECO examination centres in Saudi Arabia and Niger Republic recorded no candidate with five credits and above under the stated benchmark.

Exam held in Nigeria, six countries

The 2026 SSCE Internal examination was conducted from June 15 to July 23 across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and six foreign countries—Benin Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Saudi Arabia.

The nationwide marking exercise was conducted between August 17 and September 4.

A total of 1,334 candidates with special needs participated in the examination, with the council maintaining that measures were put in place to promote inclusiveness.

Wushishi thanked the Federal Government, education authorities, the NECO Governing Board, National Assembly, security agencies, state governments, schools and other stakeholders for their support.

He declared the results released and said candidates could access them 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.

From Dan Amasingha, Minna

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has honoured eight outstanding candidates who emerged as the best-performing male and female students across its major examinations in 2025.

The council also recognised 90 serving staff and five retired directors and acting directors for exceptional performance, dedication and productivity in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The awards, which included certificates of recognition and cash prizes, were presented to the beneficiaries as part of efforts by the examination body to promote academic excellence, hard work and positive competition.

The eight students were drawn from the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), National Gifted Examination, Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

In the NCEE category, Alocha Naeto, a male candidate from Anambra State domiciled in Lagos, emerged as the best-performing candidate, while Adenuga Monsurat Feyisara from Ogun State, also domiciled in Lagos, was adjudged the best female candidate.

For the National Gifted Examination, Ezeudu Samuel Akachukwu from Anambra State emerged the best male candidate, while Ubochi Akunnaya Nancy from Imo State emerged the overall best female candidate.

In the BECE category, Micheal Daniella Chiamaka of Chrisland High School, Lagos, emerged the best female candidate, while Salihu Amir Umar of Kedwel International School, Barnawa, Kaduna, was adjudged the best male candidate.

The SSCE category witnessed a clean sweep by two candidates from a private school in Kaduna State, with Akai Bernice Kuyat emerging the best female candidate and Eke Felix Emenike taking the award for the best male candidate.

Speaking at the award ceremony, the Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, said the initiative was designed to celebrate excellence, reward hard work and encourage healthy competition among candidates and staff.

Wushishi also commended NECO staff for their resilience and commitment to conducting examinations despite security and other operational challenges across the country.

He said, “Boko Haram can’t stop our examination. Bandits, kidnappers or sit-at-home has not stopped us from discharging our responsibility.

“That is why I often refer to our staff as NECO soldiers. From my experience as a former military personnel, what our staff do is pure gallantry.”

The NECO boss explained that the recognition of workers across different cadres, including drivers, cleaners and storekeepers, was deliberate, stressing that every category of staff contributes to the effective functioning of the council.

According to him, recognising dedicated workers was intended to motivate them to sustain and improve their level of performance.

In all, 90 serving staff and five retired directors and acting directors received certificates of service and productivity awards, alongside undisclosed cash rewards.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reviewed its policy on swapping candidates’ registered GSM numbers and changing registered email addresses, allowing candidates who have genuinely lost access to their SIM cards or email accounts to update their details through a controlled process.

The new arrangement, which takes effect from Monday, is designed to assist candidates who have lost access to their registered GSM numbers, particularly those unable to use the numbers for registration for subsequent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), as well as those whose registered email accounts can no longer be recovered.

The Acting Director, Public Affairs and Protocols, JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, announced this in a statement on Monday.

The Board had previously restricted SIM swapping and email changes as part of measures to protect candidates’ records from fraud and other security vulnerabilities associated with such alterations.

Benjamin, however, said in the statement that the policy was reviewed following the introduction of enhanced security measures, particularly stronger identity and biometric verification processes.

Under the revised arrangement, candidates can request a GSM number swap, email address change, or both, subject to strict authentication procedures.

According to the Board, the concession is intended to reduce the hardship faced by candidates who lose access to their registered credentials and make the processes leading to tertiary education admission more seamless.

JAMB, however, warned that the service would be available only once to each candidate and would be subject to stringent verification designed to prevent impersonation, fraud and unauthorised alteration of candidates’ records.

Part of the statement read: “The service will be available at designated JAMB Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centres, including State Offices where applicable.

“Candidates seeking to access the service are required to provide the new GSM number and/or email address, as applicable, as well as a duly executed court affidavit scanned and ready for upload.

How to access the service

According to JAMB, candidates are required to log into their e-Facility profiles using their existing credentials, including their email address, registration number or profile code.

“They are then expected to select ‘SIM Swap/eMail Change Payment’ from the menu and pay the prescribed fee.

“After payment, candidates are to proceed to a JAMB CBT Centre and access the SIM Swap/eMail Change Quicklink.

“At the centre, they will enter their profile code or existing GSM number and click ‘Fetch Details’, after which they will undergo biometric verification.

“The candidate will then select the required service — GSM number only, email address only, or both GSM number and email address — before entering the new details and uploading the scanned court affidavit.

“The process is completed by clicking ‘Update’, after which a confirmation message will be displayed upon successful completion,” JAMB stated.

The Board advised candidates to use the service strictly for genuine cases and patronise only designated CBT centres.

JAMB further noted that the reviewed policy was part of its effort to balance strong data security with candidate-friendly service delivery, ensuring that genuine candidates are not unnecessarily disadvantaged by circumstances beyond their control.