A total of 58,187 candidates took part in the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) for admission into Federal Government Colleges across Nigeria.
The Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed this in Abuja while briefing journalists after monitoring the examination alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad.
Wushishi noted that the figure represents a decline compared to the 64,578 candidates who registered for the examination in 2025.
He added that female candidates outnumbered males in this year’s exercise, with over 31,000 females and about 26,000 males participating.
According to him, the trend reflects ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Education to promote girl-child education, which he said is yielding positive results.
On the conduct of the examination, the NECO registrar stated that reports from across the country indicated a smooth and largely successful exercise, with no major disruptions recorded.
He reaffirmed the council’s commitment to maintaining credibility, transparency, and fairness in the administration of the examination.
The National Common Entrance Examination is used for admission into Junior Secondary School One in Federal Government Colleges nationwide.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, who monitored the exercise in Abuja, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination after visiting several centres.
She described the process as orderly, well-coordinated, and timely, noting that candidates were properly seated and supervised.
However, she raised concern over cases of absenteeism, pointing out that about 18 candidates were absent in one of the centres visited.
Ahmad said it was important to investigate the reasons behind such absences to prevent future occurrences.
She also confirmed that the schools visited had adequate facilities to support the smooth conduct of the examination and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to improving education infrastructure.
Figures from the examination showed that Taraba State recorded the lowest number of candidates with 15 registrations, while Lagos State had the highest with 13,228.
The monitoring team visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki.
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