No fewer than 58,187 students on Saturday sat for the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) for admission into federal government colleges across the country.
Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, Registrar of NECO, made the announcement while briefing press in Abuja after overseeing the test with Minister of State for Education Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad.
Wushishi stated that the statistic marked a decrease from the 64,578 candidates who registered for the exam in 2025.
He said that female candidates made up the majority of those who registered for this year’s exam.
According to him, moreover, 31,000 female candidates registered versus approximately 26,000 male candidates.
“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 stated.
Wushishi, speaking on the examination’s conduct, stated that reports from around the country indicated that the exercise went relatively smoothly.
Following inspection trips to three Abuja centers, Ahmad expressed satisfaction with the examination’s organization.
According to her, candidates were well-supervised and began the exam on time.
“We have been to three schools, and I am happy with the conduct of the examination in all the centers visited.
“The students are orderly and 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.
The minister, however, voiced alarm about the number of absentee candidates reported in several centers.
She stated that approximately 18 candidates were absent from one of the halls visited, emphasizing the importance of determining the reasons for the development.
Ahmad also stated that the schools visited had the requisite facilities to perform the examination, reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to strengthening infrastructure for effective teaching and learning.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Taraba had the fewest candidates, with only 15 registered, while Lagos had the most, with 13,228.
During the monitoring exercise, the minister and NECO management made visits to Model Secondary School in Maitama, Government Science Technical College in Garki, and Federal Government Boys’ College in Garki.
