The National Examinations Council has announced a decline in the number of candidates who participated in the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination for admission into Federal Government Colleges across Nigeria.
A total of 58,187 pupils sat for the examination on Saturday, representing a decrease from the 64,578 candidates who registered for the exercise in 2025.
Speaking during a monitoring exercise in Abuja, NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, said the examination was conducted smoothly across the country, with reports indicating that most centres recorded a hitch-free process.
According to Wushishi, female candidates accounted for the larger share of registrations this year, with over 31,000 girls registering for the examination compared to about 26,000 boys.
“The figures suggest that efforts aimed at encouraging girl-child education are yielding positive outcomes,” he said.
The registrar noted that feedback received from various states showed that the examination was largely successful, with no major incidents reported.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination after inspecting selected centres in the Federal Capital Territory.
“We visited three centres and observed that the candidates were orderly, properly supervised and that the examination commenced as scheduled,” she said.
Ahmad added that she reviewed registration records and confirmed that candidates met the approved age requirements for participation in the examination.
Despite commending the overall organisation of the exercise, the minister raised concerns over absenteeism recorded in some centres.
“In one of the halls we visited, about 18 candidates were absent. It is important to understand the reasons behind such cases,” she stated.
She further reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure across the country to support effective teaching and learning.
Data released by NECO showed that Lagos State recorded the highest number of registered candidates with 13,228, while Taraba State had the lowest figure with only 15 candidates.
The monitoring team visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, all located in Abuja.
The examination serves as the entry assessment for admission into the nation’s Federal Government Colleges, popularly known as Unity Schools.
