NECO records drop in candidates for 2026 unity schools entrance exam

The National Examinations Council has recorded a decline in the number of candidates sitting for the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) into Federal Government Colleges, with 58,187 candidates participating nationwide.

Speaking during a monitoring exercise in Abuja on Saturday, NECO Registrar, Ibrahim Wushishi, said the figure was lower than the 64,578 candidates who registered for the examination in 2025, representing a drop of 6,391 candidates.

Despite the decline, Wushishi noted that female candidates outnumbered males, with over 31,000 girls registered compared to about 26,000 boys. He attributed the trend to sustained efforts aimed at promoting girl-child education.

The registrar also disclosed that Lagos State recorded the highest number of registrations with 13,228 candidates, while Taraba State had the lowest, with only 15 candidates.

Wushishi said reports from across the country indicated that the examination was conducted smoothly without major incidents.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination after inspecting centres in Abuja.

She, however, raised concerns over absenteeism after observing that several registered candidates were absent from one of the examination halls visited.

Ahmad reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure and creating a more conducive environment for teaching and learning across the country.