By Rosemary Etim Bassey
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), with encouraging outcomes for thousands of candidates across the country.
According to NECO, more than 71 per cent of candidates scored at least five credits, including the compulsory subjects of English Language and Mathematics, a key requirement for admission into tertiary institutions.
Speaking on Tuesday in Minna, Niger State, NECO Registrar Professor Ibrahim Wushishi said the examination covered 16 subjects and recorded strong overall performance. A total of 96,979 candidates registered for the exam, made up of 51,823 males and 45,156 females. Out of this number, 95,160 candidates eventually sat for the examination.
Professor Wushishi explained that results for 93,425 candidates were successfully processed, out of which 73,167 candidates, representing 78.32 per cent, earned credit passes and above.
Mathematics stood out as one of the best-performing subjects. Of the 93,330 candidates who took the subject, 85,256 candidates, or 91.35 per cent, scored credit passes and above.
In terms of university admission requirements, 68,166 candidates (71.63 per cent) achieved five credits and above, including English and mathematics. Even more encouraging, 82,082 candidates, about 86.26 per cent, recorded five credits and above when English and mathematics were not considered.
However, the registrar expressed concern over examination malpractice. He revealed that 9,016 candidates were sanctioned for various offences, marking an increase of 2,856 cases compared to the previous year.
NECO also blacklisted five examination supervisors from the Federal Capital Territory and Kano, Adamawa and Ondo states for allegedly assisting malpractice. In addition, four examination centres in Niger, Yobe and Kano states have been recommended for derecognition due to large-scale cheating.
Despite these challenges, Professor Wushishi described the overall results as proof of NECO’s commitment to fair and credible examinations. He also thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the education sector.
The registrar further disclosed that NECO is currently owed less than ₦2 billion by state governments.
The 2025 SSCE was conducted between November 26 and December 13, 2025, while marking took place from January 5 to January 21, 2026.