2026 NECO: Kano Emerges Best As More Candidates Fail English, Mathematics

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal, with the pass rate in English Language and Mathematics dropping to 58.67 per cent from 61.60 per cent recorded four years ago.

The latest figure reflects a continued decline in candidates’ performance in the two core subjects.
LEADERSHIP Friday observed that in 2023, 61.60 per cent of candidates obtained credits and above in English Language and Mathematics, while the figure fell to 60.55 per cent in 2024 and 60.26 per cent in 2025.

In 2026, the pass rate declined further to 58.67 per cent, representing a 2.93 percentage-point drop from the 2023 figure.

The results were released yesterday in Minna, Niger State, 63 days after the last paper of the examination was written.

The registrar of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, who announced the results, said 1,378,048 candidates registered for the examination, while 1,371,992 candidates sat for the exercise, which commenced on June 15 and ended on July 23, 2026.

He disclosed that 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, however, said 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

Wushishi also announced a significant decline in examination malpractice, saying 1,406 candidates were involved in various forms of malpractice in 2026, compared with 3,878 candidates recorded in 2025.

He said the figure represented a 64.74 per cent reduction in examination malpractice.

Wushishi thanked President Bola Tinubu for reappointing him for a second tenure as NECO registrar, as well as the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for his confidence in his leadership.

He also commended security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), for their vigilance, presence and support during the examination.

According to him, the agencies’ efforts helped to reinforce discipline, deter wrongdoing and protect the integrity of the examination.

Wushishi reassured stakeholders and the public that NECO would remain committed to its mandate and continue to uphold the integrity of its examinations.

While giving a state-by-state breakdown of performance, he said Kano State emerged as the best-performing state in the 2026 NECO internal, with 74,413 candidates scoring five credits and above, including English and Mathematics.

Lagos followed with a total of 72,496 candidates who scored five credits and above including English and Mathematics, followed by Oyo State in third place with 55,543 candidates.

Wushishi, however, stated that the NECO centres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Niger Republic, had the fewest, with no candidates scoring five credits and above.

He noted that the Southwest recorded the highest performance in the NECO 2026 SSCE Internal, adding that the rankings were based on candidates who obtained five credits and above, with separate classifications for performances with and without credits in Mathematics and English Language.

According to the registrar, the Southwest recorded 24.600 per cent in the ranking of candidates with five credits and above, irrespective of performance in Mathematics and English Language, followed by the Northwest with 22.100 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.

He said the Council also provided separate rankings by gender and for candidates who obtained five credits or more, including Mathematics and English Language.

In the North Central, the state-level ranking showed Benue at the top with 3.82 per cent, followed by Nasarawa with 3.66 per cent, while other states recorded varying levels of performance.

For the Northeast, the ranking showed Adamawa among the leading states, followed by Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Gombe, while the Northwest ranking was led by Kano, followed by Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Jigawa.

The registrar also presented separate male and female performance rankings across the geopolitical zones, showing variations in performance among states.

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.

The male ranking similarly placed Anambra ahead at 2.47 per cent, followed by Enugu at 1.79 per cent, while the female ranking showed Anambra at 3.82 per cent and Enugu at 2.45 per cent.

For the South-South, the ranking placed Rivers at the top 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 performance ranking in the zone 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 rankings were contained in the various statistical tables accompanying the 2026 SSCE Internal results, providing a breakdown of candidates’ performance by geopolitical zone, state and gender.