Kano State has emerged as the best performing state in Nigeria in the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO), maintaining its leadership position for the second consecutive year.
In the results released by the examination body, Kano recorded 74,413 candidates, who obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, placing the state ahead of other states.
Lagos State came second with 72,496 candidates, while Oyo State placed third with 55,543 candidates.
According to a statement by the State Director-General, Media and Publicity, Sunusi Tofa, the 2026 feat marks the second year in a row that Kano has topped the NECO national performance chart, having also recorded the highest number of candidates with five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, in the 2025 examination.
Reacting to the development, Governor Abba Yusuf commended the students, teachers, parents and other education stakeholders for the outstanding performance, describing it as evidence that sustained investment in education was yielding measurable results.
He noted that Kano maintaining first position in NECO for two consecutive years, 2025 and 2026, had confirmed the state as the leading SSCE performer in the country.
Governor Yusuf reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to prioritising education through increased funding, improved learning facilities, teacher recruitment and training, scholarships and support for indigent students.
As part of its interventions, the state government spent over N4.4 billion in 2026 to sponsor candidates for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, with particular attention to indigent students.
According to the governor, the intervention was designed to remove financial barriers and enable students to sit for the examinations under better conditions.
He said the latest NECO result was a continuation of the steady improvement recorded by Kano students since the inception of the present administration.
Under Governor Yusuf, education has consistently received the largest share of the state budget, surpassing the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) benchmark, it was learnt.
In 2024, education accounted for about 29.95 per cent of the state budget. The allocation was increased to N168.35 billion, representing 31 per cent, in the 2025 budget. For 2026, the state earmarked N405.35 billion for education, representing about 30 per cent of the N1.47 trillion budget.
The governor says the investment goes beyond examination sponsorship to include classroom renovation, teacher recruitment, provision of learning materials, school uniforms, scholarships and other interventions aimed at improving the quality of education.
He added that the administration’s education policies had continued to attract recognition at both national and international levels, positioning Kano as a leading education reform hub in sub-Saharan Africa.