NECO Records Decline As 58,187 Candidates Sit For 2026 Common Entrance

No fewer than 58,187 candidates sat for the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination on Saturday, conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) for admission into Federal Government Colleges across the country.

The Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed this in Abuja while briefing journalists after monitoring the examination with the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad.

Wushishi said the number of candidates who registered for this year’s examination dropped when compared to the 64,578 candidates recorded in 2025.

He, however, noted that female candidates outnumbered their male counterparts in the 2026 exercise.

According to him, more than 31,000 female candidates registered for the examination, while about 26,000 male candidates registered.

“I think this reflects the efforts of the ministry in promoting girl-child education and shows that positive results are being achieved in that regard,” Wushishi said.

Speaking on the conduct of the examination, the NECO registrar said reports received from different parts of the country showed that the exercise was largely successful.

He said the council had not received any major report of disruption or serious challenge from examination centres across the country.

Wushishi added that the council remained committed to ensuring credibility and fairness in the conduct of the National Common Entrance Examination.

The examination is conducted for admission into Junior Secondary School One in Federal Government Colleges across Nigeria.

Minister Expresses Satisfaction

Naija News reports that after visiting some centres in Abuja, Ahmad expressed satisfaction with the organisation and conduct of the examination.

The minister said the candidates were orderly, properly seated and adequately supervised in the centres visited.

She also noted that the examination started on schedule.

“We have been to three schools and I am happy with the conduct of the examination in all the centres visited.

“The students are orderly, well seated and the examination started on time.

“I have also looked at the registration documents of the students and observed that the guidelines regarding the prescribed age bracket for the examination were adhered to,” she said.

The minister, however, expressed concern over the number of candidates who were absent in some centres.

She said about 18 candidates were absent in one of the halls visited, adding that there was a need to find out why they did not show up for the examination.

Ahmad said understanding the reason for the absenteeism would help the authorities address any challenge that might have prevented the affected candidates from participating.

She also observed that the schools visited had the required facilities for the smooth conduct of the examination.

The minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to improving school infrastructure to support effective teaching and learning.

According to figures from the examination, Taraba State recorded the lowest number of candidates, with 15 registrations.

Lagos State had the highest number of candidates, with 13,228 registrations.

During the monitoring exercise, the minister and NECO management visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki.