The National Examinations Council (NECO) has explained why it took 63 days to release the results of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal, citing the completion of marking, verification and quality assurance processes.
NECO Registrar and Chief Executive, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, disclosed this on Thursday at a news conference held at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State, where he officially announced the release of the 2026 SSCE Internal results.
According to Wushishi, the 2026 examination cycle was one of the most challenging for the council, testing its systems, processes and overall readiness.
The examination was conducted between June 15 and September 4, 2026, across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as six foreign countries: Benin Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Saudi Arabia.
NECO 2026 SSCE Results: Over 1.37 Million Candidates Sat for Examination
Wushishi disclosed that 1,378,048 candidates registered for the 2026 SSCE Internal examination. The figure comprised 682,352 male candidates and 695,696 female candidates.
However, 1,371,992 candidates eventually sat for the examination, including 678,903 males and 693,089 females.
The NECO registrar stated that 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent of those who sat for the examination, obtained at least five credits, irrespective of their results in English Language and Mathematics.
He further disclosed that 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, secured five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
Examination Malpractice Cases Drop by 64.74%
Addressing examination malpractice, the NECO registrar revealed that the council recorded 1,406 cases during the 2026 SSCE Internal examination.
According to him, the figure represents a 64.74 per cent reduction compared with the 3,878 cases recorded in 2025.
Wushishi attributed the decline to measures introduced by the council to strengthen examination security and quality assurance.
He reaffirmed NECO’s commitment to ensuring that certificates issued to candidates accurately reflect their academic performance and are not obtained through impersonation, manipulation or other forms of examination malpractice.
1,334 Candidates With Special Needs Participated
The NECO boss also disclosed that 1,334 candidates with special needs participated in the 2026 SSCE Internal examination.
The candidates included:
- 640 candidates with hearing impairment.
- 149 candidates with visual impairment.
- 84 candidates with albinism.
- 94 candidates with autism.
- 136 candidates with low vision.
- 231 candidates with adermatoglyphia.
The disclosure highlights the participation of candidates with different accessibility needs in the national examination.
Candidates Can Check Results Online
Wushishi formally declared the 2026 SSCE Internal results released to the public and encouraged candidates to continue their academic pursuits with renewed hope and determination.
He advised candidates to access their results through the official NECO website using their examination registration numbers.
The registrar expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, particularly President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of Education Dr Olatunji Alausa and Minister of State for Education Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, for their support.
He also commended security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other institutions for their contributions during the examination.
Wushishi assured stakeholders that NECO would continue working to protect the integrity and credibility of its examinations.
The 2026 NECO SSCE Internal results are now available to candidates through the council’s official results portal.
