Lagos and Oyo have emerged as the leading Southwest states in the 2026 National Examinations Council (NECO) ranking, but both finished behind Kano, which retained the national lead for the second consecutive year.
Lagos recorded 72,496 candidates who obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, to finish second nationally, while Oyo came third with 55,543 candidates.
Kano topped the ranking with 74,413 candidates, beating Lagos by 1,917 candidates and maintaining its position from the 2025 examination.
The results have placed renewed attention on educational outcomes in the Southwest, particularly the performance of its two highest-ranked states and the investments required to improve access to quality education across the region.
For Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial centre and one of the country’s largest education markets, the second-place finish puts its examination performance alongside Kano’s continued lead. Oyo’s third-place position also provides a basis for examining the state’s progress in secondary education and the support available to students preparing for external examinations.
However, the figures represent the number of candidates who secured the specified credits, not the percentage of candidates who passed. Without the total number of candidates who sat the examination in each state, the ranking does not establish which state had the highest pass rate or overall examination success rate.
Kano retains national lead
Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf attributed his state’s performance to sustained investment in education, including examination sponsorship, teacher recruitment and improved learning facilities.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, in Kano on Saturday, Yusuf commended students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders for the achievement.
He said Kano had maintained the first position in NECO for two consecutive years, describing the results as evidence of the impact of his administration’s education policies.
The governor disclosed that the state spent more than N4.4 billion in 2026 to sponsor candidates for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, particularly indigent students.
For the Southwest, however, the figures also provide an opportunity to examine how education spending and policies across the region translate into measurable learning outcomes, particularly as states continue to invest in secondary education and prepare students for higher education and employment.
