A total of 58,187 candidates participated in the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination conducted by the National Examinations Council for admission into Junior Secondary School One in Federal Government Colleges across Nigeria.
The Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed this in Abuja on Saturday while briefing journalists after monitoring the examination alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad.
Wushishi noted that the figure represents a drop in registration compared to the 64,578 candidates recorded in 2025, indicating a decline in participation for the current year.
He added that female candidates outnumbered males in the 2026 examination, with over 31,000 girls registered compared to about 26,000 boys. According to him, this trend reflects ongoing efforts by the government to promote girl-child education.
Despite the decline in numbers, the NECO registrar said the examination was conducted smoothly nationwide, with no major reports of disruption or malpractice from centres.
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He reaffirmed the council’s commitment to maintaining credibility, fairness, and transparency in all national examinations.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, who monitored centres in Abuja, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise, noting that candidates were orderly and examinations began on time across the centres visited.
She, however, raised concern over the absence of some candidates, including about 18 absentees in one of the centres, calling for further investigation into the causes.
Ahmad also confirmed that the schools visited had adequate facilities and complied with guidelines, including age requirements for candidates.
According to examination data, Taraba State recorded the lowest number of candidates with just 15 registrations, while Lagos State recorded the highest with 13,228 candidates.
During the monitoring exercise, officials visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, all within Abuja.
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