NECO: 36 States Owe Nearly N2bn, As 72% Secure Five Credits Including Maths, English

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has said the total amount owed the examination body by the 36 states of the federation for exam registration is close to N2 billion.

This is even as it has released the results of the 2025 external Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) 52 days after the conclusion of the last written paper.

Announcing the release on Tuesday, NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, disclosed that 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 also disclosed that 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 the total amount owed NECO for examination registration, the NECO boss said the 36 states are owing the exam body close to N2 billion.

“95,160 candidates eventually sat for the examination, including 50,785 males (53.36 per cent) and 44,375 females (46.63 per cent),” Wushishi said.

While providing a breakdown of performance, he said: “93,425 candidates sat for English Language, out of which 73,167 candidates, representing 78.32 per cent, obtained credit passes and above.

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

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 exam 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 Tinubu for his continued support for the education sector.

Meanwhile, candidates can access their results via NECO’s official website using their examination registration numbers.