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Fewer Nigerian children sat the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination for Federal Government Colleges, with NECO recording a nationwide turnout of 58,187 candidates, 6,391 fewer than last year.
The Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed the figure on Saturday while monitoring the examination in Abuja. The 2025 edition had 64,578 registered candidates. This is a decline of 9.9% year-on-year.
But one trend has remained stable: girls are still leading the charge. There were over 31,000 female candidates, outnumbering approximately 26,000 male candidates. Wushishi attributed the gap to sustained support and policies pushing girls’ education across the country.
–Lagos vs Taraba: the registration gap—
Geography told its story. Lagos State tops the table with 13,228 applicants, reaffirming its dominance in the demand for unitary schools. At the other end of the spectrum, Taraba State registered only 15 candidates, the lowest number in the country.
Wushishi said reports from all 36 states and the FCT showed that the exam was conducted smoothly, with no major incidents recorded.
–Absenteeism worries the minister—
The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad, who also inspected the centers in Abuja, praised NECO’s conduct but flagged one concern: empty chairs. He noticed that several registered candidates were absent from a hall he visited.
“While we celebrate good behavior, absenteeism tells us we still have work to do on awareness and access,” Ahmad said. He reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure and creating “a more conducive environment for teaching and learning”.
The NCEE is the gateway to Nigeria’s 110 federal government colleges, or “unit schools”. A drop of nearly 10% in one year raises questions about affordability, awareness, migration to private schools and parental confidence in public education.
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NECO officials say analysis of the decline will be done after the results are released, but the gender numbers suggest that campaigns for girls’ education are yielding results, even as general interest wanes.
