Kano State has emerged first in the 2026 National Examination Council of Nigeria (NECO) examination, with 74,413 candidates securing at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
The results showed that Lagos State placed second with 72,496 candidates, while Oyo State ranked third with 55,543 candidates.
The performance marks the second consecutive year Kano has topped the NECO national performance chart, following its record of having the highest number of candidates with five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, in the 2025 examination.
Reacting to the development, Governor Abba Yusuf, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, congratulated the students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders for the impressive performance.
Yusuf said the back-to-back achievement demonstrated that the state’s continued investment in education was yielding measurable results.
“Kano has maintained the first position in NECO twice in a row making the state as the leading SSCE performer for the two consecutive years, (2025 and 2026) respectively,” he said.
He assured residents that his administration would sustain its focus on education through increased funding, upgraded learning facilities, teacher recruitment and training, scholarships and assistance for indigent students.
As part of the interventions, he said the state government spent more than N4.4 billion in 2026 to sponsor candidates for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, especially indigent students.
The governor said the initiative was intended to eliminate financial obstacles and allow students to sit for the examinations in improved conditions.
He said the latest NECO result reflected the continued progress recorded by Kano students under the current administration.
“Education has consistently received the largest share of Kano State’s budget under Governor Yusuf; overshooting the UNESCO benchmark.”
“In 2024, education accounted for about 29.95 per cent of the state budget. The allocation increased to N168.35 billion, representing 31 per cent, in the 2025 budget.
“For 2026, the state allocated N405.35 billion to education, representing about 30 per cent of the N1,478, 829, 666, 130. 71 trillion budget,” he said.
The governor said the spending extends beyond examination sponsorship to cover classroom rehabilitation, teacher recruitment, educational materials, uniforms, scholarships and other initiatives designed to strengthen the quality of education.
The administration’s education programmes have also received recognition nationally and internationally, with Kano increasingly emerging as an education reform centre in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2024, Yusuf received the Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year Award for Education, while New Telegraph honoured him for educational development as Governor of the Year.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers also recognised the governor as its Teachers’ Friendly Governor of the Year for 2024.
“In 2025, Blueprint Newspaper recognised Governor Yusuf as Governor of the Year for Education at the paper’s national conference in Abuja. While This Nigeria newspaper awarded him as courageous Governor of the year 2024.
“The administration also received education-related recognition at International space in London and Paris 2026, for its commitment to education with international literacy and learning award and the education spending award by the Universal Learning Solution and City University, Paris respectively,” he said.
He said the goal was to develop an education system capable of equipping Kano’s young people with the knowledge and skills needed for higher education, employment, innovation and leadership, as the state recorded more than five million school children in its latest annual school census.
