The National Examinations Council, NECO, has announced that 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent of those who sat the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE, Internal, obtained at least five credits including English Language and Mathematics.
The Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, announced the results on Thursday at a press briefing at the Council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State.
Wushishi said 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 examination.
According to him, 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, obtained five credits and above irrespective of whether the credits included English Language and Mathematics.
He disclosed that the 2026 examination also recorded a significant reduction in cases of examination malpractice, with 1,406 candidates involved in various forms of malpractice compared with 3,878 candidates recorded in 2025.
The figure represents a decline of about 63.8 per cent from the previous year.
Wushishi said the development reflected the Council’s continued efforts to strengthen its examination processes and protect the integrity of its certificates.
He explained that the examination tested NECO’s systems and processes, adding that the release of the results followed extensive coordination, assessment, verification and quality assurance procedures.
The Registrar said the marking exercise was concluded on September 4, 2026, while the release of the results came 63 days after the examination commenced.
According to him, the Council remained committed to ensuring that the results issued to candidates reflected their actual academic performance rather than impersonation, malpractice or manipulation.
The NECO boss also disclosed that 1,334 candidates with special needs participated in the examination.
He gave the breakdown as 640 candidates with hearing impairment, 149 with visual impairment, 84 with albinism, 94 with autism, 136 with low vision and 231 candidates with adermatoglyphia.
The results also include detailed performance analyses by state, gender and geopolitical zones, as well as comparisons of examination malpractice by type and subject.
Wushishi said the Council had released the results after completing the processes required to ensure their credibility.
He declared the 2026 SSCE Internal results formally released and directed candidates to access them through the NECO website using their examination registration numbers.
The Registrar expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support and for reappointing him for a second term, as well as the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad.
He also commended school owners, principals, teachers, parents and other stakeholders for their cooperation during the examination process.
Wushishi further said NECO would remain committed to its mandate of conducting dependable national examinations and maintaining the credibility of its certification.
The 2026 SSCE Internal 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.
NECO: 58.67% score five credits including English, Mathematics as malpractice drops