A total of 58,187 candidates participated in the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) held across Nigeria on Saturday for admission into Federal Government Colleges.
The figure was disclosed by the Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Ibrahim Wushishi, during a monitoring exercise in Abuja alongside the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad.
According to Wushishi, this year’s registration figure represents a decline from the 64,578 candidates who sat for the examination in 2025.
Despite the drop in overall participation, female candidates recorded a higher turnout than their male counterparts.
The NECO registrar revealed that more than 31,000 girls registered for the examination, compared to approximately 26,000 boys.
He attributed the development to sustained efforts aimed at promoting girl-child education across the country, noting that the increasing participation of female students reflects progress in that direction.
Wushishi also expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination nationwide, stating that reports received from various centres indicated that the exercise proceeded smoothly.
According to him, the council had not recorded any major disruption or significant challenge during the examination, adding that NECO remains committed to maintaining transparency, fairness and credibility in the admission process into Federal Government Colleges.
Education Minister Commends Conduct Of Examination
After visiting selected examination centres in Abuja, Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, praised the level of organisation and compliance observed during the exercise.
She noted that candidates were properly seated, adequately supervised and conducted themselves in an orderly manner throughout the examination.
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The minister also expressed satisfaction that the examination commenced as scheduled in the centres visited.
“We have been to three schools and I am pleased with the conduct of the examination. The students were orderly, properly seated, and the exercise started on time,” she said.
Ahmad added that checks carried out on candidates’ registration records showed compliance with the prescribed age requirements for participation in the examination.
However, she raised concerns about the number of candidates who failed to appear for the examination in some centres.
According to her, about 18 registered candidates were absent in one of the halls inspected, stressing the need to investigate the reasons behind their absence.
She explained that understanding the factors responsible for absenteeism would help authorities identify and address potential barriers preventing some pupils from participating.
The minister also commended the availability of facilities at the examination centres visited and reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure nationwide.
Meanwhile, data from the examination showed that Lagos State recorded the highest number of registered candidates with 13,228 entries, while Taraba State had the lowest participation figure, with only 15 candidates registered.
As part of the monitoring exercise, the minister and NECO officials visited Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, all located in Abuja.