SSCE malpractice scandal as NECO implicates centres in three states and recommends blacklisting supervisors after 2025 exam results
The Registrar of the National Examinations Council, Professor Dantani Wushishi, announced that centres in three states were implicated in a whole-centre SSCE malpractice scandal during the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination and recommended for derecognition.
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Professor Dantani Wushishi disclosed this on Tuesday at a press conference to announce the release of the examination results, stating that two centres in Niger State, one in Kano State and one in Yobe State were affected.
Professor Dantani Wushishi added that five supervisors were recommended for blacklisting for aiding and abetting malpractice.
The supervisors include two from the Federal Capital Territory and one each from Kano, Adamawa and Ondo states.
The 2025 internal SSCE was conducted from 16 June to 25 July 2025 for candidates seeking qualifications for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria and abroad.
Providing candidate statistics, Professor Dantani Wushishi said 97,979 students registered for the examination, comprising 51,823 males and 45,156 females.
A total of 95,160 candidates eventually sat for the examination, including 50,785 males and 44,375 females.
On performance, Professor Dantani Wushishi stated that 73,167 candidates, representing 78.32 per cent, scored five credits and above including English Language out of 93,425 candidates who sat for the subject.
In Mathematics, 85,256 candidates, representing 91.35 per cent, scored five credits and above out of 93,330 candidates who sat for the paper.
Overall, 82,082 candidates, representing 86.26 per cent, obtained five credits and above irrespective of English and Mathematics, while 68,166 candidates, representing 71.63 per cent, achieved five credits and above in both core subjects.
Professor Dantani Wushishi noted that the examination provides a second opportunity for candidates to remedy deficiencies and secure admission into higher institutions.
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The council recalled that the 2024 SSCE recorded 60.55 per cent of candidates securing five credits and above in English and Mathematics.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
