Breaking: 58,187 Candidates Write 2026 National Common Entrance Exam Amid Decline

The National Examinations Council, NECO, has disclosed that a total of 58,187 candidates participated in the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination. This was made known by the Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, after monitoring the examination alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, in Abuja. According to Wushishi, the number of candidates who sat for the examination this year is lower than the 64,578 who registered for the exam in 2025. He also noted that more female candidates registered for the examination than their male counterparts, with over 31,000 females and about 26,000 males. Wushishi attributed the increase in female registration to the ministry's efforts in promoting girl-child education. The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination after visiting three centres in Abuja. She observed that the candidates were well-organised, adequately supervised, and commenced the examination on schedule. However, she expressed concern over the high number of absent candidates in some centres. The examination was conducted in various centres across the country, with Taraba recording the lowest number of candidates, at 15, while Lagos had the highest, with 13,228 candidates. The Minister and NECO management visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, during the monitoring exercise.