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, obtaining at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
The Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, announced the results at a news conference at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State, on Thursday.
According to him, 1,378,048 candidates registered for the examination, comprising 682,352 males and 695,696 females, while 1,371,992 candidates, made up of 678,903 males and 693,089 females, eventually sat for it.
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.
He, however, said 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
The examination was conducted across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as six foreign countries: Benin Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Saudi Arabia.
Wushishi said the results were released 63 days after the conclusion of the examination, following the completion of marking, verification and quality assurance processes.
He described the 2026 examination cycle as one of the most challenging for the council, saying it had tested NECO’s systems, processes and readiness.
The registrar also announced a significant reduction in examination malpractice, with 1,406 candidates involved in various forms of malpractice in 2026, compared with 3,878 candidates recorded in 2025.
He said this represented a 64.74 per cent reduction in examination malpractice.
Wushishi attributed the decline to the council’s sustained efforts to strengthen examination security and quality assurance, noting that the deployment of technology, including Computer-Based Examination (CBE), had also contributed to the reduction.
Giving a breakdown of candidates’ performance by geopolitical zones, Wushishi said the Southwest recorded the highest proportion of candidates who obtained five credits and above, irrespective of performance in English Language and Mathematics.
He said the Southwest accounted for 24.60 per cent of the performance, 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.
At the state level, Kano 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 candidates, while Oyo came third with 55,543 candidates.
Wushishi said the detailed statistical tables also provided separate rankings by geopolitical zone, state, gender and candidates who obtained five credits and above, with or without English Language and Mathematics.
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, while 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.
The registrar said the male and female performance rankings also showed variations across the geopolitical zones and states.
Wushishi further disclosed that 1,334 candidates with special needs participated in the 2026 SSCE Internal.
He said the figure comprised 640 candidates with hearing impairment, 149 with visual impairment, 84 with albinism, 94 with autism, 136 with low vision and 231 candidates with adermatoglyphia.
He assured candidates, parents, schools and other stakeholders that NECO would continue to uphold the integrity and credibility of its examinations.
The registrar also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, for their support to the council.
He commended security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other institutions, for their support during the examination.
Wushishi urged candidates to access their results through the NECO website using their examination registration numbers and to continue their academic pursuits with renewed hope and determination.