The National Examinations Council (NECO) says over 58,187 candidates sat for the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE).
The NCEE is for admission into Federal Government Colleges nationwide.
The Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, stated this on Saturday in Abuja while monitoring the examination alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad.
He said that 58,187 candidates sat for the examination across the country.
According to him, the figure represents a decline from the 64,578 candidates who registered for the examination in 2025.
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Wushishi noted that female candidates outnumbered their male counterparts in the 2026 exercise, attributing the development to deliberate policies of the Federal Ministry of Education.
“Female candidates accounted for the majority of those who registered for this year’s examination. More than 31,000 female candidates registered, compared to about 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.
According to him, reports received from across the country indicated that the exercise was largely hitch-free.
For her part, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Ahmad, expressed satisfaction with the organisation of the examination after monitoring centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“From the monitoring, candidates were orderly, adequately supervised and commenced the examination on schedule.
“We have been to three schools and I am happy with the conduct of the examination in all the centres visited.
“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,” Ahmad said.
The Minister also noted that the schools visited had the necessary facilities for the conduct of the examination and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to improving infrastructure for effective teaching and learning.
During the monitoring exercise, the Minister and the NECO management team visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki.
