A total of 64,000 candidates from Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Togo have participated in the 2025 National Common Entrance Examination for admission into Federal Government Colleges, conducted by the National Examinations Council.

Speaking after monitoring the exercise at Model Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja, and Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, Kaduna State, on Saturday, the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, expressed satisfaction with the smooth conduct of the examination.

“I am very happy with the way the exams have been conducted. They started on time, students were orderly, and invigilators were present and active. We had 64,000 candidates, 30,000 male and 34,000 female, which shows a strong interest in our unity colleges.

“Nigerians are still eager to have their children in Federal Government Colleges. This turnout shows that parents still value the role of unity schools in national cohesion,” he said.

Also speaking, the National Examination Council Registrar, Prof Ibrahim Wushishi, confirmed that Lagos State recorded the highest number of registered candidates with over 15,000, while the Republic of Togo had the lowest with 17 candidates.

“We had about 109 candidates from Benin Republic and Togo combined, all Nigerian citizens residing there. This is a truly regional exercise that affirms the reach and reputation of our unity colleges,” he said.

Wushishi noted that no challenges were reported during the conduct of the exam.

“Materials arrived on time, the exam started as scheduled, and so far, we’ve seen no issues. This smooth process gives us hope that upcoming senior secondary exams, both WAEC and NECO, will follow suit,” he added.

On her part, the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Binta Abdulkadir, said admissions into unity schools will be based on merit, state quota, and exigency, the latter catering largely to children of civil servants