The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) External results, recording a 71.63 per cent pass rate for candidates who obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

The Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Professor Dantani Ibrahim-Wushishi, announced the results on Wednesday at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State.

Professor Ibrahim-Wushishi said the examination was conducted from November 26 to December 13, 2025, while the marking exercise took place between January 5 and January 21, 2026. He noted that the results were released 52 days after the final paper.

According to the Registrar, “96,979 candidates registered for the examination, comprising 51,823 males (53.43 per cent) and 45,156 females (46.56 per cent),” with 95,160 candidates ultimately sitting for the exams, including 50,785 males (53.36 per cent) and 44,375 females (46.63 per cent).

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He further disclosed that 93,425 candidates sat for English Language, out of which 73,167 candidates, representing 78.32 per cent, obtained credit and above. For Mathematics, 93,330 candidates sat, with 85,256 candidates, representing 91.35 per cent, achieving credit and above.

“68,166 candidates, representing 71.63 per cent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics,” Ibrahim-Wushishi said. “82,082 candidates, representing 86.26 per cent, secured five credits and above, irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.”

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The Registrar explained that the SSCE External provides a second opportunity for candidates seeking admission into universities and other tertiary institutions within and outside Nigeria. He noted that the examination covered 16 subjects and described the release of the results as “another milestone in NECO’s mandate to deliver credible assessments.”

On malpractice, Ibrahim-Wushishi revealed that 9,016 candidates were booked for various offences during the examination, a 31.7 per cent increase from 6,160 cases recorded in 2024. He added that five supervisors were recommended for blacklisting for aiding and abetting malpractice — two from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and one each from Kano, Adamawa, and Ondo states.

He also said four examination centres were recommended for derecognition due to whole-centre malpractice, including two in Niger State and one each in Yobe and Kano states.

The Registrar advised candidates to check their results on NECO’s website, www.neco.gov.ng, using their examination registration numbers.

In addition, Professor Ibrahim-Wushishi announced the release of the 2026 Automated Staff Posting Calendar (APC), explaining that staff postings would now be randomised.

Staff can access their posting status online at https://apcic.neco.gov.ng/myapc using their date of birth and file number without the prefix “P.”