Oyo State has emerged as the third-highest performing state by number of candidates who obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, in the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO).
According to figures released by NECO, a total of 55,543 candidates from Oyo State met the five-credit benchmark in the 2026 examination.
Oyo’s performance placed the state behind Kano, which recorded 74,413 candidates, and Lagos, with 72,496 candidates meeting the same benchmark.
The result was announced by the NECO Registrar and Chief Executive, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, during the release of the 2026 SSCE Internal results in Minna, Niger State.
Nationwide, NECO reported that 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics. A total of 1,371,992 candidates sat for the examination after 1,378,048 candidates registered.
The examination was conducted between June 15 and July 23, 2026.
Oyo State’s strong showing also came as the South-West geopolitical zone recorded the highest overall share of candidates who obtained five credits and above irrespective of their performance in English Language and Mathematics, accounting for 24.60 per cent.
The 2026 NECO results further showed a significant decline in examination malpractice nationwide. NECO recorded 1,406 candidates involved in various forms of malpractice, compared with 3,878 candidates in 2025, representing a 64.74 per cent reduction.
With 55,543 candidates meeting the five-credit benchmark including English and Mathematics, Oyo State has recorded one of the largest concentrations of successful NECO candidates nationwide in the 2026 examination.
The development places Oyo among the leading states in the country in terms of the number of candidates meeting the key NECO academic benchmark.
