The Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, who announced the results, said the examination was conducted and processed in line with the council’s commitment to maintaining credible standards.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for school-based candidates, with the council recording a 64.74 per cent reduction in examination malpractice compared with last year.
The results, released on Thursday at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State, showed that 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent of those who sat for the examination, obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
A total of 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, also obtained five credits and above irrespective of their performance in English Language and Mathematics.
The Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, who announced the results, said the examination was conducted and processed in line with the council’s commitment to maintaining credible standards.
He said 1,378,048 candidates registered for the 2026 SSCE, comprising 682,352 males and 695,696 females.
According to him, 1,371,992 candidates eventually sat for the examination, made up of 678,903 males and 693,089 females.
The examination, which ended 63 days before the release of the results, also had 1,334 candidates with special needs among those who sat for it.
Wushishi said the council maintained its zero tolerance for examination malpractice throughout the conduct of the examination, adding that appropriate standards were applied from the planning stage through the conduct, marking and processing of the results.
He disclosed that 1,406 candidates were involved in various forms of examination malpractice during the 2026 examination.
The figure, he said, represented a significant decline from the 3,878 candidates involved in malpractice in 2025.
Wushishi attributed the reduction to intensified monitoring of the examination by members of the council’s Governing Board, management and senior staff.
He said the measures adopted by the council were aimed at strengthening the integrity of the examination and ensuring that the results released were credible and acceptable to students, educational institutions and the wider public.
The Registrar commended NECO staff for what he described as their professionalism, discipline and commitment to excellence in the conduct of the examination.
He said, “Your intellectual rigour, meticulous attention to quality and commitment to ethical standards have ensured that we deliver results that are credible and trusted by the students, institutions and the public.
“The success of this exercise is not accidental; it is as a result of consistent commitment across directorates and departments.”
Wushishi also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for reappointing him for a second term as Registrar/Chief Executive of the council, saying the gesture demonstrated the President’s continued confidence in the organisation.
He equally thanked stakeholders who contributed to the successful conduct of the examination.
The release of the results also featured the presentation of medals to sportsmen and women who represented NECO in various sporting competitions in 2026.