72% Candidates Get 5 Credits In English, Maths, Others In NECO’s Exams

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) External, 52 days after the conclusion of the last written paper.

Announcing the release in Minna, Niger State yesterday, NECO registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, disclosed that the candidates were examined in 16 subjects during the exercise.

According to him, a total of 96,979 candidates registered for the examination, comprising 51,823 males (53.43 per cent) and 45,156 females (46.56 per cent).

He stated that 95,160 candidates sat for the examination, including 50,785 males (53.36 per cent) and 44,375 females (46.63 per cent).

In a breakdown of the performance, Wushishi said 93,425 candidates sat for English Language, of whom 73,167, representing 78.32 per cent, obtained credit passes and above.

Similarly, 93,330 candidates sat for Mathematics, with 85,256 (91.35 per cent) scoring credit passes and above.

A total of 68,166 candidates, representing 71.63 per cent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics, while 82,082 candidates, representing 86.26 per cent, secured five credits and above irrespective of English and Mathematics.

On examination malpractice, the registrar disclosed that 9,016 candidates were booked for various offences, compared to 6,160 cases recorded in 2024, indicating an increase of 31.7 per cent.

He also announced the blacklisting of five supervisors, two from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and one each from Kano, Adamawa, and Ondo states, for aiding examination malpractice.

He added that four examination centres, two in Niger State and one each in Yobe and Kano states, have been recommended for derecognition over involvement in mass malpractice.

The 2025 SSCE External examination was conducted between November 26 and December 13, 2025, while marking took place from January 5 to January 21, 2026.

The examination provides candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions, both within and outside Nigeria, an opportunity to improve their academic qualifications.

Wushishi described the result release as another milestone in NECO’s mandate to provide credible assessments and reliable certification for Nigerian students. He also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued support for the education sector.

Candidates can access their results via NECO’s official website using their examination registration numbers.

Regarding the total amount owed to NECO for examination registration, the NECO boss said less than N2 billion was owed by the 36 states.