By Felix Khanoba
More than 58,000 pupils across Nigeria on Saturday participated in the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), with education authorities expressing satisfaction over the smooth conduct of the exercise while highlighting increased female participation.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) said a total of 58,187 candidates sat for the examination, which serves as a gateway into Federal Government Colleges nationwide.
Speaking with journalists after monitoring the examination in Abuja alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, said the figure represented a decline from the 64,578 candidates who registered for the exercise in 2025.
Wushishi noted that female candidates constituted the larger share of registered candidates for this year’s examination, with over 31,000 girls registered compared to about 26,000 boys.
“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 said.
The NECO registrar also disclosed that reports from examination centres across the country indicated that the exercise was conducted without major challenges.
After inspecting selected centres in the Federal Capital Territory, the Minister of State for Education expressed satisfaction with the organisation of the examination, describing the process as orderly and well coordinated.
“We have been to three schools and I am happy with the conduct of the examination in all the centres visited.
“The students are orderly, 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.
Despite commending the exercise, Ahmad raised concerns over the number of candidates who failed to show up for the examination in some centres.
According to her, about 18 candidates were absent in one of the halls visited, adding that efforts should be made to determine the reasons behind the absenteeism.
The minister further observed that the schools visited possessed adequate facilities for the conduct of the examination and reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.
Data released during the exercise showed that Taraba State recorded the lowest number of registered candidates with 15, while Lagos State had the highest figure with 13,228 candidates.
As part of the monitoring exercise, Ahmad and members of the NECO management team visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Apo, all in Abuja.
