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The Federal Government on Thursday disclosed that 82 candidates scored just one mark in the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), while 10 candidates emerged as the overall best after recording 202 marks out of the maximum obtainable score of 210.
The results, released by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad, highlighted the wide performance gap among candidates who sat the highly competitive entrance examination into the nation’s 80 Federal Government Colleges (FGCs), popularly known as Unity Colleges.
Speaking in Abuja during the official presentation of the results by the National Examinations Council (NECO), the minister said 70,357 candidates registered for the examination, while 66,950 sat the test conducted on Saturday, June 6, 2026, across Nigeria, the Benin Republic and Togo. She added that 3,407 candidates were absent.
According to Prof. Ahmad, while 10 candidates shared the highest score of 202 marks, 82 others recorded the lowest score of one mark.
She described the National Common Entrance Examination as one of Nigeria’s most competitive entrance examinations and the gateway for admission into Junior Secondary School One (JSS1) in the Federal Government Colleges.
“The National Common Entrance Examination is conducted annually for qualified Nigerian children, both at home and abroad, seeking admission into the Federal Government Colleges spread across the country,” she explained.
The minister noted that the Unity Colleges continue to serve as a platform for promoting national integration and cohesion, adding that they remain among the country’s most preferred secondary schools.
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Similarly, Prof. Ahmad also released the results of the entrance examination into the Federal Government Academy, Suleja, in which 2,071 candidates registered, while 1,876 sat the test and 195 were absent.
According to her, the highest score recorded for admission into the academy was 187 marks, representing 89.05 per cent of the total obtainable score, while the lowest score was four marks.
The minister reaffirmed that admission into the Federal Government Colleges would continue to be based on the existing criteria of 60 per cent merit, 30 per cent equality of states and 10 per cent exigency.
She directed the Senior Secondary Education Department to ensure that the admission exercise is concluded promptly and in strict compliance with the approved guidelines.
Prof. Ahmad assured parents that the Federal Government would sustain investments in infrastructure, improve feeding programmes and enhance teacher quality to strengthen learning outcomes in the Unity Colleges.
“Our Federal Government Colleges have become the first choice for many parents across Nigeria. We will continue to improve infrastructure, feeding and the quality of teachers to ensure better learning outcomes for our children,” she said.
Earlier, the Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, formally presented the results of the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination and the National Gifted Examination to the minister for public release.
