58,187 Pupils Sit 2026 Common Entrance Exam as NECO Records Drop in Candidates

More than 58,000 pupils across Nigeria on Saturday sat for the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), the qualifying test for admission into Federal Government Colleges, as education officials expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise nationwide.

The National Examinations Council (NECO) said 58,187 candidates participated in this year's examination, a drop from the 64,578 who registered in 2025.

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

Wushishi noted that girls accounted for the larger share of candidates registered for the examination, with more than 31,000 female candidates compared to about 26,000 males.

“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,” he said.

The registrar also reported that feedback from across the country indicated that the examination was largely hitch-free.

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After visiting three examination centres in the Federal Capital Territory, Ahmad commended the orderly conduct of candidates and officials, noting that the examination commenced as scheduled in the centres inspected.

“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.

Despite her satisfaction with the exercise, the minister expressed concern over absenteeism recorded in some centres. She revealed that about 18 candidates were absent from one of the examination halls visited and said efforts should be made to determine the reasons behind their absence.

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Ahmad further observed that the schools visited were adequately equipped for the exercise and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.

According to NECO, Lagos recorded the highest number of registered candidates, with 13,228, while Taraba had the lowest, with only 15 candidates.

The monitoring team visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, during the exercise.