NECO Releases 2025 SSCE Results With 61% Drop in Malpractice

Strong Performance Despite Challenges

At the council’s headquarters in Minna, NECO Registrar and Chief Executive Dantani Wushishi announced the results with what appeared to be genuine satisfaction. The numbers tell an interesting story: 1,367,210 candidates registered for the examination, though only 1,358,339 actually showed up to write it.

Breaking down the results, 818,492 candidates, that’s 60.26%, managed to get five credits and above including English and Mathematics. The broader picture looks even better, with 1,144,496 candidates (84.26%) achieving five credits regardless of whether they passed English and Math.

“This outcome represents a milestone that reflects transparency, credibility, and the council’s commitment to quality education,” Wushishi said during the announcement. Though one might wonder if the language sounds a bit rehearsed, the numbers do seem to back up his optimism.

Worth noting: the examination accommodated 1,622 candidates with special needs. These included students with hearing and visual impairments, albinism, autism, and low vision. It’s a detail that suggests NECO is at least trying to be more inclusive, even if there’s still room for improvement.

Malpractice Numbers Drop – But Questions Remain

Here’s where things get interesting. NECO recorded only 3,878 cases of malpractice in 2025, down from 10,094 cases in 2024. That’s a 61.58% reduction, which sounds impressive on paper.

But the story gets more complicated when you dig deeper. Thirty-eight schools across 13 states were caught engaging in mass cheating and now face sanctions. Nine supervisors in Rivers, Niger, FCT, Kano, and Osun states will be blacklisted for helping students cheat or other misconduct.

Then there’s the situation in Adamawa State. Results from eight schools in Lamorde Local Government Area had to be withheld because communal clashes disrupted the examinations. It’s a reminder that Nigeria’s education challenges go well beyond cheating.

The question that lingers: did malpractice actually decrease, or did NECO just get better at catching it? The answer probably lies somewhere in between.

Government Support and What Comes Next

Wushishi made sure to thank President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Education for supporting NECO’s reforms. Whether these reforms are truly working or just creating better optics remains to be seen.

He also urged universities and polytechnics to wait for all examination bodies to release their results before finalising admissions. It’s practical advice, though anyone familiar with Nigeria’s education system knows that coordination between institutions can be… challenging.

Getting Your Results

Students can check their 2025 SSCE results on NECO’s website at www.neco.gov.ng using their registration numbers. The online system appears to be working smoothly, which is actually a small victory given past technical hiccups.

The improved numbers and reduced malpractice cases suggest that something positive may be happening in Nigeria’s secondary education system. With over 1.3 million candidates involved, these results could influence how universities handle admissions this year. Whether the improvements are sustainable, well, that’s the real test.