NECO AFFIRMS KANO AS TOP-PERFORMING STATE IN 2025 SSCE RESULTS AMID MEDIA DISPUTE. (PHOTO).

 NECO Affirms Kano as Top-Performing State in 2025 SSCE Results Amid Media Dispute

The National Examinations Council (NECO) on Friday, September 26, 2025, defended its ranking of Kano State as the leading performer in the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE Internal), dismissing a national newspaper report that crowned Abia State as the top state as "misleading" and inaccurate.

NECO's official results show Kano achieving a 5.886 per cent performance rate, with 39,351 candidates securing at least five credits, including Mathematics and English, out of a large cohort. The council emphasized that its final rankings are based on a comprehensive evaluation, including state code 015 for Kano, placing it first nationwide. In contrast, Abia, with code 001, ranked 35th overall.

The controversy erupted from a Premium Times analysis, which highlighted Abia's 83.31 per cent pass rate among its 11,260 candidates—resulting in 9,381 passers—as superior to Kano's 49.84 per cent pass rate from 136,762 candidates, yielding 68,159 passers. The report argued that Kano's lead stems from its sheer volume of examinees (over 10 per cent of the national total) rather than quality, and accused Kano Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of misrepresenting the data in celebratory claims echoed by several media outlets.

NECO countered that the newspaper's piece represented a partial "analysis of candidates’ performance by states," not the official total results or state rankings. "Referencing Abia State’s code number 001 is nothing but misleading," a senior council official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "That is why on the final performance ranking, Kano with its 015 code still becomes the first state while Abia State with 001 becomes 35th in the whole country."

Breaking down gender-specific metrics, NECO's performance sheets indicate Lagos State topping male rankings nationally, with 43,538 registered candidates (43,202 sat), 4.44 per cent—or 30,203—achieving five credits and above in the core subjects. Kano followed closely in males, with 62,223 registered (61,854 sat) and 28,308 passers at 4.100 per cent.

For females, Kano claimed first place with 137,338 registered (136,762 sat), a 5.020 per cent rate, edging out Lagos's 4.93 per cent. Overall, NECO announced that 818,492 of 1,358,339 candidates nationwide (60.26 per cent) passed with five credits including English and Mathematics.

Hajiya Rabi Inuwa, Director of the Kano Educational Resource Centre, attributed the state's success to Governor Yusuf's proactive investments, noting he disbursed over N3 billion in examination fees prior to the exams. She urged continued support, including settling N475 million in outstanding fees from 2022.

The dispute underscores broader debates on evaluation metrics—raw numbers versus percentages—in assessing educational outcomes, with Kano officials insisting their reforms have delivered tangible national leadership.