The National Examinations Council (NECO) has officially released the results of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for internal candidates, with encouraging performance trends but also notable cases of malpractice and exam disruptions.
Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, NECO’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, revealed that 1,367,210 students registered for the examination. Of this figure, 685,514 were male while 681,696 were female. However, only 1,358,339 candidates eventually sat for the exam.
Highlighting the performance breakdown, Professor Wushishi announced that 818,492 candidates (60.26%) secured five credits and above, including Mathematics and English Language, a key requirement for admission into Nigerian universities and polytechnics. Furthermore, 1,144,496 students (84.26%) earned at least five credits in other subjects, excluding Maths and English.
While celebrating these achievements, NECO also reported challenges. Results from eight schools in Lamorde Local Government Area of Adamawa State were withheld after a communal conflict disrupted examinations held between July 7 and July 25, 2025. The clash affected 13 subjects and 29 papers. The council is currently in talks with state authorities to reschedule the missed examinations for the affected students.
On malpractice, NECO disclosed that 38 schools across 13 states were implicated in large-scale cheating. According to the registrar, these schools will be summoned to the Council Headquarters for questioning, after which appropriate sanctions will be enforced.
The council also announced disciplinary measures against nine supervisors, recommending them for blacklisting. Offenders included three supervisors from Rivers State, three from the Federal Capital Territory, and one each from Niger, Kano, and Osun States. Their misconduct ranged from negligence and aiding examination malpractice to lateness, unruly behavior, assault, and insubordination.
As NECO results continue to shape the academic future of millions of Nigerian youths, stakeholders are closely watching how the council tackles issues of malpractice and ensures fairness in the examination process.