In a statement issued on Friday, Azeez Sani, NECO spokesperson, said Nigeria will also host the 2027 AEAA conference in Abuja after the examination body was granted the hosting rights at the association’s just concluded 42nd conference in Arusha, Tanzania.

Sani said the decisions were endorsed by the AEAA general assembly.

The twin developments, he said, reflect growing recognition of Nigeria’s role in educational assessment as countries respond to digital transformation and the integration of artificial intelligence into testing and certification.

Wushishi’s election follows his service on the AEAA executive council as the representative of the West African sub-region.

Since assuming office as NECO registrar in 2021, Wushishi has overseen reforms aimed at modernising examination administration, expanding the council’s technological infrastructure and increasing its international reach.

NECO examinations are currently conducted in eight foreign countries, according to the council.

The 2027 AEAA Conference will be held in Abuja from August 16 to 20, 2027. The event is expected to bring together policymakers, researchers, examination administrators and education experts from across Africa.

NECO spokesperson said the conference would provide Nigeria with an opportunity to showcase its ongoing reforms in educational assessment and contribute to discussions on the future of testing and certification on the continent.

Wushishi, who was born on April 5, 1965, in Wushishi, Niger State, is a scholar of science education with a specialisation in chemistry education.

Before his appointment as NECO registrar, he had an academic career at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and the Federal University of Technology, Minna, where he held various leadership positions, including head of department, postgraduate coordinator and sub-dean.

President Bola Tinubu reappointed Wushishi as NECO registrar earlier this year, a development that was widely viewed as an endorsement of his administrative and technological reforms at the council.

Sani said his election as AEAA vice-president and Nigeria’s successful bid to host the 2027 conference further strengthen the country’s position within Africa’s educational assessment community.

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Speaking on Saturday during a monitoring exercise in Abuja, the NECO registrar said the figure was lower than the 64,578 candidates who registered for the examination in 2025.

Wushishi disclosed that female candidates outnumbered their male counterparts in this year’s registration, with more than 31,000 girls registered compared to about 26,000 boys.

He attributed the development to ongoing efforts by the federal ministry of education to promote girl-child education.

“I think this reflects the efforts of the ministry in promoting girl-child education and shows that positive results are being achieved in that regard,” he said.

The NECO registrar said Taraba recorded the lowest number of registered candidates with 15, while Lagos had the highest with 13,228 candidates.

He added that reports received from across the country indicated that the examination was largely hitch-free.

Also speaking during the monitoring exercise, Suwaiba Ahmad, minister of state for education, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination after visiting three centres in Abuja.

“We have been to three schools, and I am happy with the conduct of the examination in all the centres visited. The students are orderly, well seated and the examination started on time,” the minister said.

Ahmad said the registration documents presented by candidates complied with the prescribed age requirements for admission into federal government colleges.

The minister, however, expressed concern over absenteeism after observing that about 18 candidates were absent in one of the examination halls visited.

She urged education authorities to investigate the reasons behind the absences.

Ahmad also noted that the centres visited had the necessary facilities and reiterated the federal government’s commitment to improving infrastructure for teaching and learning across the country.

The minister and the NECO registrar monitored the examination at Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, all in Abuja.

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Announcing the release in Minna, Niger state, on Tuesday, the registrar of the council,  Ibrahim Wushishi, said candidates were examined in 16 subjects during the exercise.

According to him, 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 added that 95,160 candidates eventually sat for the examination, including 50,785 males (53.36 percent) and 44,375 females (46.63 percent).

Giving a breakdown of 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.

He said 68,166 candidates, representing 71.63 percent, secured five credits and above, including English language and Mathematics.

A total of 82,082 candidates, representing 86.26 percent, obtained 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 recorded in 2024 — an increase of 31.7 percent.

He also announced that five supervisors have been blacklisted for aiding examination malpractice.

Two of the supervisors are from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while one each is from Kano, Adamawa and Ondo states.

Wushishi further said four examination centres — two in Niger state and one each in Yobe and Kano states — have been recommended for derecognition over their 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.

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

Wushishi described the release of the results as another milestone in NECO’s mandate to provide credible assessments and reliable certification for Nigerian students, and expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his continued support for the education sector.

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

On outstanding registration fees, the NECO registrar said less than N2 billion is being owed the council by the 36 states.

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The deceased is the father of Dantani Wushishi, the registrar of National Examination Council (NECO). He was aged 106.

According to a statement by Azeez Sani, acting director of information and public relations at NECO, the late Wushishi is survived by 12 children, 60 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.

He has been burned according to Islamic rites.

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This is marking the first time the National Examinations Council (NECO) is introducing a dual mode of computer-based testing (CBT) and paper and pencil testing (PPT).

Of the total figure, 685,551 are male and over 681,300 are female candidates. Kano state recorded the highest number of registered candidates with over 137,000, while Kebbi state had the lowest with just above 5,000.

The Nigerian International School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, registered the smallest with only eight candidates.

Ibrahim Wushishi, NECO registrar, announced the figures on Tuesday while monitoring the exam at SASCON International School, Maitama, Abuja — one of the pilot CBT centres.

The pilot marks NECO’s first step towards full CBT, following the directive from Tunji Alausa, the minister of education. that NECO and WAEC should fully adopt CBT by 2026.

Wushishi noted that although infrastructure challenges remain, NECO is committed to the transition.

“We may have challenges of infrastructure, but that will not stop us,” he said. “We are ready as a professional body. We are also calling on state governments to support us by providing CBT infrastructure,” he said.

He added that CBT will help reduce examination malpractice and improve the credibility of certificates globally.

Meanwhile, the Minister of education, who also monitored the exam, explained that future SSCEs would likely be conducted at approved CBT centres rather than students’ own schools, similar to the model used by JAMB.

“We have thousands of CBT centres nationwide, and these should be used beyond JAMB to serve WAEC and NECO too,” he said.

Alausa stressed that this would also create jobs, expand the digital economy, and encourage local innovation in software and hardware.

These are homegrown solutions. We should all be proud,” he said. “President Bola Tinubu is creating opportunities like this across sectors.”

The minister praised NECO for its pilot, calling it proof that the transition is achievable despite initial scepticism.

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