The National Examinations Council has released the results of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal, with 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent of those who sat for the examination, obtaining at least five credits including English Language and Mathematics.
The Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, announced the release of the results on Thursday at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State.
A total of 1,378,048 candidates registered for the 2026 examination, comprising 682,352 males and 695,696 females. However, 1,371,992 candidates eventually sat for the examination.
According to the council, 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, obtained five credits and above when performance in English Language and Mathematics was not used as a condition.
The examination was conducted across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as six foreign countries, including Benin Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Saudi Arabia.
The results were released 63 days after the conclusion of the examination, following the completion of marking, verification and quality-assurance processes.
The examination was held between June 15 and July 23, 2026, while the nationwide marking exercise was subsequently conducted before the results were released.
NECO also reported a significant decline in examination malpractice compared with the previous year. The council said 1,406 candidates were involved in various forms of malpractice in 2026, compared with 3,878 candidates recorded in 2025, representing a reduction of about 64.74 per cent. Some early reports from the briefing gave a figure of 1,496, but subsequent NECO-linked reports consistently cited 1,406.
Wushishi attributed the reduction partly to strengthened monitoring and the council’s adoption of computer-based examination technology, which he said had helped reduce opportunities for malpractice.
The registrar also disclosed that 1,334 candidates with special needs participated in the examination. The group included candidates with hearing and visual impairments, albinism, autism, low vision and other conditions requiring special examination arrangements.
Following the release, candidates can access their results online through the NECO result-checking portal. They are required to select the 2026 examination year and the appropriate examination type, then enter their result-checking token and registration number.
NECO has advised candidates to use the official result portal and avoid unofficial websites or individuals requesting examination details or payment.
The release of the results is expected to enable candidates seeking admission into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions to proceed with relevant admission processes.
NECO said it would continue to uphold the credibility and integrity of its examinations and ensure that certificates issued to candidates accurately reflect their academic performance.
