THE Kano State Bureau of Statistics has strongly defended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s claim that Kano produced the highest number of successful candidates in the 2025 NECO Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), dismissing a contrary report by Premium Times as “misleading” and “selective.”
In a statement signed by the Statistician-General, Aliyu Isa Aliyu, Ph.D sent to News Point Nigeria, the Bureau stressed that its independent review of NECO’s official data showed Kano topping virtually all key performance indicators, contrary to the narrative suggesting Abia State was the best performer.
The Bureau accused Premium Times of isolating only one indicator percentage pass rate, where Abia came first, while ignoring broader metrics that establish Kano as the national leader.
It explained that NECO’s computation of percentage performance included candidates outside Nigeria, such as those from Saudi Arabia, Togo, and Niger Republic, some of whom recorded a perfect 100%. Using the same logic adopted by Premium Times, the Bureau argued, “foreign candidates should have ranked higher than Abia itself.”
According to NECO’s official figures analyzed by the Bureau, Kano emerged first in five out of six major indicators, while Abia led in just one.
Overall Performance: Kano registered 137,338 candidates, with 136,762 sitting for the exam. Of these, 103,579 secured five credits and above, irrespective of Mathematics and English, the highest absolute figure nationwide. This surpassed Lagos with 85,071 and Oyo with 70,609.
Female Education: Out of 75,115 registered girls, 74,098 sat, and 39,851 passed with five credits including Mathematics and English. Irrespective of the two core subjects, 59,771 girls succeeded, outpacing Lagos (48,202) and Oyo (33,201).
Male Education: Kano registered 62,223 boys, of whom 61,854 sat. 43,808 secured five credits irrespective of English and Mathematics, again topping Lagos (38,869) and Oyo (22,371). In the stricter benchmark of credits including English and Mathematics, Lagos narrowly led with 30,203, while Kano followed with 28,308.
The Bureau emphasized that Kano’s achievement was especially significant given its much larger enrollment base compared to other states.
Summarizing its findings, the Bureau declared Kano as the “undisputed leader” in the 2025 NECO SSCE, reaffirming the accuracy of Governor Yusuf’s earlier statement.
“The attempt by Premium Times to downplay this achievement by isolating a single indicator is a distortion of facts,” the Bureau said. “We stand by the Governor’s claim, which is fully supported by NECO’s official statistics.”
The Bureau further confirmed that its analysis was based on official data provided directly by NECO’s Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi.
