The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE internal), just 54 days after the final paper was written.
Announcing the results at a press briefing in Minna, Niger State, NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, revealed that 818,492 candidates (60.26%) scored five credits and above, including Mathematics and English.
In total, 1,144,496 candidates (84.26%) secured five credits and above, whether or not English and Maths were included.
According to NECO, Kano topped the chart with 68,159 candidates who cleared five credits, including English and Maths. Lagos followed closely with 67,007, while Oyo came third with 48,742.
At the other end, Gabon recorded the weakest performance, with no candidate hitting the benchmark of five credits including English and Maths.
The 2025 exams, which ran from June 16 to July 25, recorded 1,358,339 candidates sitting, almost evenly split between males (680,292) and females (678,047).
Drop in Malpractice Cases
NECO also reported a sharp drop in exam malpractice. Only 3,878 cases were recorded this year, compared to 10,094 in 2024; a 61.58% reduction.
However, 38 schools across 13 states were flagged for mass cheating and will face sanctions. In addition, nine supervisors in Rivers, Niger, FCT, Kano, and Osun were recommended for blacklisting due to aiding malpractice, lateness, and unruly behavior.
Prof. Wushishi also disclosed that communal clashes in Lamorde LGA of Adamawa State disrupted exams in eight schools, affecting 13 subjects and 29 papers. NECO says it is working with the state government to reschedule those papers.
NECO to Reduce Subjects and Transition to CBT
As part of its reform agenda, NECO announced it will now conduct exams in only 38 subjects, in line with the revised curriculum. This, according to the Registrar, will shorten the waiting period for results.
The Council has also started transitioning from the traditional paper-and-pencil format to the Computer-Based Test (CBT) model, with selected schools already part of the pilot phase.
