Unity School: 64,000 Candidates Sit For Common Entrance Examination

The 2025 National Common Entrance Examination for admission into Federal Government Colleges saw a total of 64,000 candidates participate, comprising 30,000 males and 34,000 females.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, while after monitoring the exercise at Model Secondary School, Maitama, and Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, commended the smooth conduct of the exam, citing punctuality, orderly student behavior, and active invigilators.

“I’m very happy with the way the exams have been conducted. They started on time, students were orderly, and invigilators were present and active. We had 64,000 candidates, 30,000 male and 34,000 female, which shows a strong interest in our unity colleges,” she said.

The minister emphasised that the turnout reflects continued public trust in the unity school system.

“Nigerians are still eager to have their children in Federal Government Colleges. This turnout shows that parents still value the role of unity schools in national cohesion,” she added.

Also speaking, NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed that a total of 64,000 candidates participated in the examination, with Lagos State recording the highest number of registered candidates with over 15,000.

Wushishi stated that the Republic of Togo had the lowest number with 17 candidates.
“We had about 109 candidates from Benin Republic and Togo combined, all Nigerian citizens residing there. This is a truly regional exercise that affirms the reach and reputation of our unity colleges,” he said.

The NECO boss also stated that the examination made provisions for children with special needs, providing accommodations like braille materials and support personnel.

Wushishi, noted that the smooth process gives them hope that upcoming senior secondary exams will follow suit.

“Materials arrived on time, the exam started as scheduled, and so far, we’ve seen no issues. This smooth process gives us hope that upcoming senior secondary exams, both WAEC and NECO, will follow suit,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Binta Abdulkadir, stated that the admissions into unity schools will be based on merit, state quota, and exigency, the latter catering largely to children of civil servants.

Unity School: 64,000 Candidates Sit For Common Entrance Examination is first published on The Whistler Newspaper