The National Examinations Council (NECO) on Tuesday, released the results of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) External, confirming that 72% of the candidates secured five credits and above including Mathematics and English in the recently conducted examination nationwide.

NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, officially announced the release of the results in Minna, Niger State, saying candidates were examined in 16 subjects during the exercise.

Giving a detailed breakdown of the examination, he disclosed that a total of 96,979 candidates registered for the examination, comprising 51,823 males (53.43 percent) and 45,156 females (46.56 percent).

He further revealed that 95,160 candidates eventually sat for the examination, including 50,785 males (53.36 percent) and 44,375 females (46.63 percent).

On general performance, Wushishi said 93,425 candidates sat for English Language, out of which 73,167 candidates, representing 78.32 percent, obtained credit passes and above.

Similarly, 93,330 candidates sat for Mathematics, with 85,256 candidates, representing 91.35 percent, scoring credit passes and above.

A total of 68,166 candidates, representing 71.63 percent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics, while 82,082 candidates, representing 86.26 percent, secured five credits and above irrespective of English and Mathematics.

On examination malpractice, the registrar disclosed that 9,016 candidates were booked for various offences, compared to 6,160 cases recorded in 2024, indicating an increase of 31.7 percent.

He also announced the blacklisting of five supervisors, two from the Federal Capital Territory and one each from Kano, Adamawa, and Ondo states, for aiding examination malpractice.

He added that four examination centres, two in Niger State and one each in Yobe and Kano states, have been recommended for derecognition over involvement in mass malpractice.

The 2025 SSCE External examination was conducted between November 26 and December 13, 2025, while marking took place from January 5 to January 21, 2026.

The examination provides candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions, both within and outside Nigeria, an opportunity to improve their academic qualifications.

Wushishi described the result release as another milestone in NECO’s mandate to provide credible assessments and reliable certification for Nigerian students.

He also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued support for the education sector.

Candidates can access their results via NECO’s official website using their examination registration numbers.

On the total amount be­ing owed NECO for examination registration, the NECO boss said less than N2 billion was being owed among the 36 states.