Contrary to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s claim that Kano State emerged as the best-performing state in the recently released 2025 National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), official data shows the state ranked among the bottom third nationwide.
A review of NECO’s statistics by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that over half of Kano’s candidates failed to secure five credits, including English Language and Mathematics—a key requirement for admission into Nigerian universities.
Instead of leading by performance, Kano only topped the chart by sheer number of candidates. The state accounted for more than 10 per cent of all students who sat for the 2025 NECO SSCE but produced just about five per cent of those who achieved the benchmark of five credits, including English and Mathematics.
Despite this, Governor Yusuf, in a Facebook post, celebrated what he described as “an unprecedented success,” crediting his administration’s education reforms for Kano’s supposed performance. He further claimed that Lagos and Oyo ranked second and third behind Kano. His statement was widely reported by several national outlets, including Tribune, Business Day, Guardian, Channels Television, and TVC.
However, NECO’s official data tells a different story. By pass rate, Kano placed 29th out of 37 states and the Federal Capital Territory, ranking below Lagos, Oyo, and most southern states. It only outperformed eight states, all from the North: Yobe, Adamawa, Plateau, Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, and Sokoto.
The 2025 NECO Results at a Glance
NECO’s Registrar, Professor Dantani Wushishi, announced last week that 1,358,339 candidates sat for the 2025 internal SSCE—680,292 males and 678,047 females.
60.26 per cent (818,492 candidates) secured at least five credits, including English and Mathematics.
84.26 per cent passed with five credits and above, regardless of English and Mathematics.
The True Top Performer
A state-by-state breakdown obtained by PREMIUM TIMES confirmed Abia State as the best-performing state. Of the 11,260 Abia candidates, 83.31 per cent earned at least five credits, including English and Mathematics.
This contrasts sharply with Kano’s pass rate, which lagged far behind despite its massive candidate population.
