NECO Releases 2026 SSCE Results, 58.67% Secure Five Credits in English, Mathematics By Beauty Akporido Aroh
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, recording five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
The results, announced on Thursday by the NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, in Minna, Niger State, were released 63 days after the conclusion of the examination.
A total of 1,378,048 candidates registered for the 2026 SSCE Internal, while 1,371,992 candidates actually sat for the examination, which commenced on June 15 and ended on July 23, 2026.
Giving further details of the results, 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.
The Registrar also announced a sharp decline in examination malpractice, revealing that 1,406 candidates were involved in various forms of malpractice in 2026, compared with 3,878 candidates recorded in 2025.
He said the development represented a 64.74 per cent reduction in examination malpractice.
Wushishi attributed the improved integrity of the examination partly to enhanced monitoring and security measures, while commending security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), for their vigilance and support.
According to him, the presence and interventions of the security agencies helped to reinforce discipline, deter examination misconduct and protect the credibility of the examination process.
He also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for reappointing him for a second tenure as NECO Registrar and to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for his confidence in the council’s leadership.
Kano Leads State Performance
In the state-by-state performance analysis, Wushishi disclosed that Kano State recorded the highest number of candidates with 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.
At the other end of the table, the NECO centres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Niger Republic recorded no candidate with five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
Wushishi explained that the Council’s statistical presentation provided separate classifications based on candidates who obtained five credits and above, both irrespective of and including performance in English Language and Mathematics.
Southwest Records Highest Regional Share
According to the Registrar, the Southwest recorded the highest regional share in the ranking of candidates who obtained five credits and above irrespective of performance in English Language and Mathematics, accounting for 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 produced separate statistical rankings based on gender and candidates who obtained five credits and above, including 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.
For the Northeast, Adamawa featured among the leading states, followed by Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Gombe, while Kano led the Northwest, followed by Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Jigawa.
Anambra Leads Southeast
In the Southeast, Anambra State led 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.
The male performance ranking also placed Anambra ahead with 2.47 per cent, followed by Enugu with 1.79 per cent.
Among female candidates, Anambra recorded 3.82 per cent, while Enugu posted 2.45 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.
The male ranking recorded Rivers at 2.85 per cent, Edo at 2.06 per cent, Delta at 1.79 per cent, Akwa Ibom at 1.48 per cent, and Cross River at 1.21 per cent.
For female candidates, Rivers recorded 3.19 per cent, followed by Edo with 2.28 per cent, Akwa Ibom with 1.73 per cent, Cross River with 1.37 per cent, and Delta with 1.29 per cent.
Wushishi said the detailed results and rankings were contained in the statistical tables accompanying the 2026 SSCE Internal results, providing a comprehensive breakdown of performance across geopolitical zones, states and gender.
He reassured candidates, parents, schools and other stakeholders that NECO would continue to strengthen its examination processes and uphold the integrity, credibility and reliability of its assessments.
The release of the 2026 results therefore provides a broad statistical picture of candidates’ performance across the country, while the substantial decline in reported examination malpractice marks a notable feature of this year’s examination exercise.
