NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, announced the figure in Abuja during a monitoring exercise with Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad.
He said the turnout was lower than the 64,578 candidates who registered in 2025.
According to Wushishi, female candidates outnumbered males in this year’s registration with over 31,000 girls registered against about 26,000 boys.
“I think this reflects the efforts of the ministry in promoting girl-child education and shows that positive results are being achieved in that regard,” he said.
He noted that Taraba State recorded the lowest number of candidates, with 15 registrations, while Lagos had the highest, with 13,228 candidates.
Wushishi added that reports from across the country showed the examination was largely hitch-free.
Also speaking, the minister of state after visiting three centres in Abuja, said she was satisfied with the conduct of the exam
“We have been to three schools and I am happy with the conduct of the examination in all the centres visited. The students are orderly, well seated and the examination started on time,” she said.
She also confirmed that the registration documents met the prescribed age bracket.
The minister, however, raised concern over absenteeism as about 18 candidates were absent in one hall she inspected, and urged the ministry to find out the reasons.
Ahmad noted that the centres visited had the required facilities and restated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving infrastructure for teaching and learning.
According to NAN, Lagos recorded the highest registrations with 13,228 candidates, while Taraba had the lowest with 15.
Ahmad and NECO Registrar monitored Model Secondary School, Maitama; Government Science Technical College, Garki; and Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki.
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