The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal, with 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, securing at least five credits including English Language and Mathematics.
The Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, announced the results on Thursday, September 24, 2026, during a press briefing at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State.
Wushishi disclosed that 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, 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, obtained five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics.
He added that 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, obtained five credits and above irrespective of whether they passed English Language and Mathematics.
The 2026 SSCE Internal examination was conducted from June 15 to July 23 across Nigeria’s 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and six foreign countries — Benin Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Saudi Arabia.
The results were released 54 days after the final paper.
Kano, Lagos Lead State Performance
Kano State recorded the highest number of candidates who obtained five credits including English Language and Mathematics, with 74,413 candidates representing 9.24 per cent.
Lagos followed with 72,496 candidates, representing 9.01 per cent, while Kebbi recorded the lowest figure with 3,049 candidates, representing 0.38 per cent.
At the geopolitical zone level, the South-West recorded 285,905 candidates, representing 24.60 per cent, followed by the North-West with 256,591 candidates (22.10 per cent).
The North-Central recorded 220,931 candidates (19.00 per cent), North-East 170,816 (14.70 per cent), South-South 122,421 (10.53 per cent), while the South-East recorded 105,356 candidates (9.07 per cent).
A major highlight of the 2026 examination was the sharp decline in reported cases of examination malpractice.
The Registrar disclosed that 1,406 candidates were involved in malpractice cases in 2026, compared with 3,878 cases recorded in 2025.
Wushishi attributed the decline to intensified monitoring of the examination by members of the Governing Board, management and senior staff of the council.
He commended NECO staff for their professionalism, discipline and commitment to maintaining the credibility of the examination.
According to him, the successful conduct of the exercise was the result of sustained commitment and coordination across the council’s directorates and departments.
NECO also disclosed that 1,334 candidates with special needs participated in the 2026 examination.
The figure included 640 candidates with hearing impairment, 149 with visual impairment, 136 with low vision, 231 with adermatoglyphia, 94 with autism and 84 with albinism.
The council said the participation reflected its continued efforts to ensure inclusive access to the national examination.
The Registrar thanked President Bola Tinubu for reappointing him for a second term and for his continued confidence in the council.
He also commended stakeholders, including schools, candidates, parents, security agencies and NECO personnel, for their contributions to the successful conduct of the examination.
Wushishi said the council would continue to strengthen its examination processes and uphold standards that would ensure the credibility of its results.
The results release ceremony also featured the presentation of medals to sportsmen and women who represented NECO in various sporting competitions in 2026.
