The National Examinations Council (NECO) has recorded a 64.74 per cent decline in examination malpractice in its 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal, even as 58.67 per cent of candidates obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, disclosed this on Thursday at a press conference in Minna, Niger State, where he announced the release of the 2026 SSCE Internal results.
According to him, 1,406 candidates were involved in various forms of examination malpractice in 2026, compared with 3,878 candidates recorded in 2025.
He said the latest figure represented a 64.74 per cent reduction in malpractice cases.
The registrar said 1,378,048 candidates registered for the examination, while 1,371,992 candidates eventually sat for the exercise, which was conducted between June 15 and July 23, 2026.
Wushishi said 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
He added that 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, obtained five credits and above irrespective of their performance in English Language and Mathematics.
The results were released 63 days after the final paper of the examination was written.
In the state-by-state performance, Kano emerged as the leading state based on the number of candidates who obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
Wushishi said 74,413 candidates in Kano met the benchmark, followed by Lagos with 72,496 candidates and Oyo with 55,543 candidates.
He, however, said NECO examination centres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Niger Republic recorded no candidate who obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
The registrar said the Southwest recorded the highest share in the ranking of candidates who obtained five credits and above irrespective of performance in English Language and Mathematics, accounting for 24.60 per cent.
It was followed by the Northwest with 22.10 per cent, North Central with 19.00 per cent, Northeast with 14.70 per cent, South-South with 10.53 per cent and Southeast with 9.07 per cent.
Wushishi said NECO also provided separate performance rankings based on geopolitical zones, states, gender and candidates who obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
In the North Central, Benue led the state ranking with 3.82 per cent, followed by Nasarawa with 3.66 per cent.
In the Northeast, Adamawa was among the leading states, followed by Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Gombe, while Kano led the Northwest, followed by Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Jigawa.
In the Southeast, Anambra topped the ranking with 2.92 per cent, followed by Enugu with 2.14 per cent. Ebonyi and Abia recorded 1.15 per cent and 0.57 per cent respectively.
The male ranking in the zone placed Anambra at 2.47 per cent and Enugu at 1.79 per cent, while the female ranking recorded Anambra at 3.82 per cent and Enugu at 2.45 per cent.
In the South-South, Rivers led with 3.03 per cent, followed by Edo with 2.17 per cent, Delta with 1.84 per cent, Akwa Ibom with 1.61 per cent and Cross River with 1.30 per cent.
Among male candidates in the zone, Rivers recorded 2.85 per cent, Edo 2.06 per cent, Delta 1.79 per cent, Akwa Ibom 1.48 per cent and Cross River 1.21 per cent.
For female candidates, Rivers recorded 3.19 per cent, followed by Edo with 2.28 per cent, Akwa Ibom with 1.73 per cent, Cross River with 1.37 per cent and Delta with 1.29 per cent.
Wushishi said the detailed rankings were contained in statistical tables accompanying the 2026 SSCE Internal results, providing breakdowns by geopolitical zone, state and gender.
He commended security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), for their support during the examination, saying their presence helped reinforce discipline and deter malpractice.
The registrar also thanked President Bola Tinubu for reappointing him for a second tenure and the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for his confidence in his leadership.
Wushishi assured stakeholders that the council would continue to uphold the integrity of its examinations and remain committed to its mandate.
