Kano State has recorded the highest number of candidates with at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, in the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination conducted by the National Examinations Council.
The state recorded 74,413 candidates who met the benchmark, according to a statement by Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, spokesperson to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Lagos followed with 72,496 candidates, while Oyo ranked third with 55,543 candidates.
The latest result means Kano has recorded the highest number of candidates meeting the five-credit benchmark in the NECO examination for two consecutive years, after also leading the 2025 performance chart.
Reacting to the result, Governor Yusuf congratulated Kano students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders, attributing the performance to sustained investment in the education sector.
The governor said his administration would continue to prioritise education through increased funding, renovation of schools, recruitment and training of teachers, provision of learning materials, scholarships and support for students from low-income households.
The state government reportedly spent more than N4.4 billion in 2026 to sponsor candidates for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, with particular attention to indigent students.
Yusuf said the intervention was aimed at reducing financial barriers that could prevent students from sitting for the examination.
Education has also remained one of the largest components of Kano’s annual budget under the current administration.
The state allocated about 29.95 per cent of its 2024 budget to education, while N168.35 billion, representing about 31 per cent, was earmarked for the sector in the 2025 budget.
For 2026, the state budget provided N405.35 billion for education, representing about 30 per cent of the total N1.48 trillion budget.
The governor said the spending covered areas beyond examination sponsorship, including classroom rehabilitation, teacher recruitment, learning materials, uniforms and scholarships.
Yusuf also said the government would sustain its education interventions to equip young people with skills for higher education, employment, innovation and leadership.
According to the governor, Kano’s latest performance reflects what he described as continuing improvements in the state’s education system, which he said serves more than five million schoolchildren based on the latest annual school census.
