Opposite to Kano Governor Abba Yusuf’s claim, Kano was not the best-performing state within the lately launched 2025 National Examinations Council (NECO) inside Senior Faculty Certificates Examinations (SSCE).
Governor Yusuf had taken to his Facebook page to make the declare and attributed the spurious feat to the ‘direct consequence’ of his administration’s reforms within the training sector.
“It’s heartwarming that Kano State has emerged because the best-performing state within the 2025 Senior Faculty Certificates Examination (SSCE Inner), performed by the Nationwide Examinations Council (NECO),” he wrote.
“This unprecedented success displays our education-driven management, which has constantly positioned funding, infrastructure, and entry to studying on the high of our authorities’s priorities.”
Mr Yusuf additionally claimed that whereas Kano was ranked within the first place, Lagos and Oyo states got here second and third, respectively.
His declare has been revealed by a number of Nigerian newspapers, together with Tribune, Business Day, Guardian, Channels Television, and TVC.
What the info reveals
After reviewing the info for 2025 NECO inside SSCE outcomes, PREMIUM TIMES can now report that Kano didn’t rank high in efficiency.
What occurred as a substitute is that over half of Kano’s candidates didn’t safe 5 credit, together with English and Arithmetic, within the 2025 NECO SSCE inside examinations.
What Kano led with was inhabitants, because it housed greater than 10 per cent of candidates who sat this 12 months’s examination and simply 5 per cent of candidates who secured not less than 5 credit, together with English Language and Arithmetic –one of many stipulations for admissions into Nigerian tertiary establishments.
Ranked by pass-rate, Kano positioned twenty ninth out of Nigeria’s 37 areas (together with the Federal Capital Territory), and never first because the governor claimed.
Additionally, Kano didn’t rank above Lagos and Oyo states, as he claimed.
In actual fact, the state is just ranked above eight northern states, specifically, Yobe, Adamawa, Plateau, Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, and Sokoto.
2025 NECO Statistics
Saying the discharge of the consequence final week, NECO Registrar Dantani Wushishi, a professor, mentioned 1,358,339 candidates – comprising 680,292 males and 678,047 females– sat for the examination.
Mr Wushishi mentioned 60.26 per cent (818,492) of the candidates secured not less than a credit score in 5 topics, together with English Language and Arithmetic.
He added that 84.26 per cent secured 5 credit and above, regardless of Arithmetic and English.
High-performing state
PREMIUM TIMES assessment of the efficiency knowledge revealed that Abia was the top-performing state by pass-rate.
The info obtained from the examination physique reveals that 83.31 per cent of 11,260 candidates who sat the examination in Abia handed with not less than 5 credit, together with English and Arithmetic.
In the meantime, greater than half of Kano’s candidates –50.16 per cent– failed as solely 49.84 per cent of its 136,762 candidates secured not less than 5 credit, together with English and Arithmetic.
Solely eight Nigerian states have a poorer pass-rate than Kano. They’re Yobe (48.13 per cent), Adamawa (47.99 per cent), Plateau (46.46 per cent), Borno (44.72 per cent), Jigawa (43.81 per cent), Katsina (42.89 per cent), Zamfara (42.12 per cent) and Sokoto (35 per cent).
Governor Yusuf’s misrepresentation
What the Kano State governor touted as ‘top-performance’ was really inhabitants.
The info from NECO, which the governor referenced, was a rating of states by the variety of college students who handed.
By the sheer inhabitants of candidates from them, Kano, Lagos, Oyo, and Benue have been on the high of this rating. However it doesn’t mirror the precise efficiency within the states.
As an example, solely 49 per cent of Kano candidates handed the examination. For Lagos, 71 per cent handed, and 60.07 per cent in Oyo state.
But, when ranked by sheer figures, Kano has the very best with 68,159, although it’s only 49.84 per cent of its inhabitants. As compared, Lagos’ 71 per cent go price is 67,007, and Oyo’s 60 per cent is 48,742.
| S/N | States | No. of Candidates Sat |
5 Credit and Above incl. Math. and Eng. | Go-rate | Failure price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ABIA | 11,260 | 9,381 | 83.31% | 16.69% |
| 2 | IMO | 23,675 | 19,672 | 83.09% | 16.91% |
| 3 | EBONYI | 14,143 | 11,399 | 80.60% | 19.40% |
| 4 | ANAMBRA | 33,192 | 25,493 | 76.80% | 23.20% |
| 5 | BAYELSA | 6,593 | 4,871 | 73.88% | 26.12% |
| 6 | DELTA | 21,168 | 15,474 | 73.10% | 26.90% |
| 7 | OSUN | 39,933 | 29,006 | 72.64% | 27.36% |
| 8 | OGUN | 49,987 | 36,095 | 72.21% | 27.79% |
| 9 | LAGOS | 93,381 | 67,007 | 71.76% | 28.24% |
| 10 | EKITI | 19,675 | 13,478 | 68.50% | 31.50% |
| 11 | ENUGU | 27,646 | 18,925 | 68.45% | 31.55% |
| 12 | AKWA-IBOM | 19,513 | 13,090 | 67.08% | 32.92% |
| 13 | KADUNA | 46,208 | 30,800 | 66.66% | 33.34% |
| 14 | EDO | 25,673 | 17,064 | 66.47% | 33.53% |
| 15 | BENUE | 56,711 | 37,506 | 66.14% | 33.86% |
| 16 | RIVERS | 38,811 | 25,567 | 65.88% | 34.12% |
| 17 | CROSS-RIVER | 18,533 | 12,198 | 65.82% | 34.18% |
| 18 | KOGI | 28,582 | 18,729 | 65.53% | 34.47% |
| 19 | GOMBE | 16,294 | 10,562 | 64.82% | 35.18% |
| 20 | NASARAWA | 47,091 | 30,480 | 64.73% | 35.27% |
| 21 | KEBBI | 5,274 | 3,387 | 64.22% | 35.78% |
| 22 | ONDO | 33,926 | 21,180 | 62.43% | 37.57% |
| 23 | KWARA | 31,410 | 19,565 | 62.29% | 37.71% |
| 24 | TARABA | 41,387 | 25,276 | 61.07% | 38.93% |
| 25 | FCT-ABUJA | 34,040 | 20,655 | 60.68% | 39.32% |
| 26 | OYO | 81,145 | 48,742 | 60.07% | 39.93% |
| 27 | NIGER | 33,112 | 18,637 | 56.28% | 43.72% |
| 28 | BAUCHI | 38,230 | 20,118 | 52.62% | 47.38% |
| 29 | KANO | 136,762 | 68,159 | 49.84% | 50.16% |
| 30 | YOBE | 28,556 | 13,743 | 48.13% | 51.87% |
| 31 | ADAMAWA | 52,765 | 25,322 | 47.99% | 52.01% |
| 32 | PLATEAU | 35,974 | 16,714 | 46.46% | 53.54% |
| 33 | BORNO | 37,179 | 16,626 | 44.72% | 55.28% |
| 34 | JIGAWA | 33,405 | 14,635 | 43.81% | 56.19% |
| 35 | KATSINA | 34,506 | 14,801 | 42.89% | 57.11% |
| 36 | ZAMFARA | 30,166 | 12,706 | 42.12% | 57.88% |
| 37 | SOKOTO | 32,200 | 11,270 | 35.00% | 65.00% |
| 38 | BENIN REPUBLIC | 33 | 19 | 57.58% | 42.42% |
| 39 | COTE D’IVOIRE | 18 | 11 | 61.11% | 38.89% |
| 40 | TOGO | 25 | 23 | 92.00% | 8.00% |
| 41 | KINGDOM-OF-SAUDI-ARABIA | 8 | 6 | 75.00% | 25.00% |
| 42 | NIGER REPUBLIC | 116 | 78 | 67.24% | 32.76% |
| 43 | EQUATORIAL GUINEA | 33 | 22 | 66.67% | 33.33% |
| 44 | TOTAL | 1,358,339 | 818,492 | 60.26% | 39.74% |
Basically, Kano has extra candidates who failed the NECO SSCE –each in figures and in percentages– than those that handed. Whereas 68,603 candidates or 51 per cent failed, 68,159 or 49 per cent handed.
Subsequently, whereas Kano’s 49.84 per cent pass-rate quantities to 68,159 candidates, Abia’s 83.31 per cent pass-rate was from solely 9,381 candidates.
Moreover, though Kano has 10 per cent of all candidates who sat the examination, it solely has 5 per cent of candidates who handed.
READ ALSO: NECO releases 2025 SSCE outcomes, data 60% go
The highest 10 states by efficiency
Abia – 83.31 per cent
Imo – 83.09 per cent
Ebonyi – 80.60 per cent
Anambra – 76.80 per cent
Bayelsa – 73.88 per cent
Delta – 73.10 per cent
Osun – 72.64 per cent
Ogun – 72.21 per cent
Lagos – 71.76 per cent
Ekiti – 68.50 per cent
Backside 10 states by efficiency
28. Bauchi – 52.62 per cent
29. Kano – 49.84 per cent
30. Yobe – 48.13 per cent
31. Adamawa – 47.99 per cent
32. Plateau – 46.46 per cent
33. Borno – 44.72 per cent
34. Jigawa – 43.81 per cent
35. Katsina – 42.89 per cent
36. Zamfara – 42.12 per cent
37. Sokoto – 35.00 per cent
